Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool Football Club, has made it clear that he doesn’t find it necessary to encourage Dominik Szoboszlai to take a shot at the goal when the opportunity arises.
On a memorable Wednesday night at Anfield, the Hungarian midfielder illuminated the Carabao Cup match against Leicester with a thunderous strike that propelled his team into the lead during the second half.
In a post-match interview with liverpoolfc.com, Klopp reflected on this exceptional moment and shared his thoughts on the 22-year-old player:
“I don’t have to tell him to shoot, he knows that, he knows better than I that he has a pretty good skill. The next one, which goes slightly over, is another grenade.
“You can see that in Premier League games, everyone tries to block him, that’s why he didn’t come through yet – but if he comes through there’s a good chance the ball could be in. A super goal.”
Szoboszlai has shown his scoring prowess at Liverpool, with his goals often being spectacular long-range strikes. His latest goal, a rocket from outside the penalty area, came early in a 3-0 win against Aston Villa this month.
Klopp noted that the Hungary captain nearly added to his tally with a powerful 30-yard shot that narrowly missed the target in the last few minutes of a recent game.
Statistics indicate that the 22-year-old isn’t afraid to shoot from distance. According to FBref, only Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez have taken more shots than his 15 among the Reds’ squad. He has also landed four shots on target, the most among forwards.
Interestingly, his on-target percentage of 26.7% is one of the lowest among Liverpool players this season. However, fans don’t mind as long as the shots that hit the target are as spectacular as the one he recently scored against Jakub Stolarczyk.
Whenever Szoboszlai has the ball within 30 yards of the opposition goal, you can expect to hear one word shouted by Reds supporters – “Shoot!”