Slot Concedes Ground on Szoboszlai Positioning After Gerrard's Backing

Arne Slot has admitted his hand may have been forced into making the wrong call regarding Dominik Szoboszlai's deployment, responding to Steven Gerrard's insistence that the 25-year-old must operate in his natural midfield role.

The Hungarian has been shuffled between his preferred attacking midfield berth and right-back this season, filling defensive gaps created by injuries to Jeremie Frimpong, Connor Bradley and Joe Gomez. Yet it's in that central attacking role where he continues to deliver his best work—a point underscored when he opened the scoring in Liverpool's 4-0 Champions League demolition of Galatasaray midweek.

Gerrard, speaking after that emphatic display, didn't merely praise Szoboszlai's performance. The Liverpool legend floated him as a potential long-term captain-in-waiting for Virgil van Dijk and hammered home a simple message: keep him where he belongs. "People are going away now talking about his performance because he's exciting and he's entertaining, but he's in his proper position. Keep him in his proper position. Let him flourish," Gerrard said.

Slot addressed the criticism head-on at his pre-match press conference before Saturday's journey to Brighton. The Dutch tactician bristled at the suggestion he's been needlessly moving his midfielder around for tactical vanity.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this but Dominik is a midfielder! When I play him in a different position, it's not because I want to be a tactical genius," he insisted. "It is because I don't have other options in that position and try to choose the best player available. If there is a full back on the bench, please ask yourself, is that full back fully fit? Is it a risk to play him?"

The manager outlined his thinking plainly: should Liverpool possess a full complement of fit defenders, Szoboszlai remains in midfield. Slot acknowledged, however, that the deeper squad depth available in the middle of the park has sometimes made it tempting to sacrifice him in that position.

"He is a very good midfielder for us. We have more than him, and that is why sometimes he plays right full back," Slot explained. "He is able to play there and has done really well in that position but if I have the chance, he will play in midfield. If everyone is available, the team is stronger with him in midfield."

Yet the manager couldn't quite escape the uncomfortable truth. When forced to deploy Szoboszlai at full-back due to the absence of five or six players at various points this season, results haven't always followed. "If we are missing five or six players, which has been the case at times this season, then I think the team is strongest with him at full back. Maybe I was wrong because we didn't win every game with him there," Slot conceded.

On another front, the Liverpool boss delivered unwelcome news regarding Mohamed Salah's availability for the south coast fixture. The Egyptian winger signalled for withdrawal with 20 minutes remaining in midweek's victory after feeling something go amiss.

Slot confirmed the concern: "Indeed, unusual and as a result of that you can expect the outcome, he's not available for tomorrow."

The silver lining for Liverpool comes in the shape of the international break that follows. While the enforced rest presents a setback for Egypt's preparations, Slot harbours optimism about Salah's recovery prospects.

"The good thing for Liverpool, for us, is we go to an international break, and the bad thing for Egypt is that he can't go there," Slot noted. "We're hoping with what Mo has shown in the past that he can recover faster than other players in similar situation because he takes such good care of his body. History has shown he can be back earlier than some others, but it's only two weeks until we go again, so let's hope in that period of time he can be back."