There was at least something to learn from this defeat, which hasn’t always been true since Liverpool secured the Premier League title. In three games since, the team has picked up just one point.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter, with the focus very much on the future, but Arne Slot’s side put in another weird performance, really, against Brighton. The first half was strong and there were a few experiments worth trying.
In the center, Dominik Szoboszlai was pinging balls around, and he looked like he was reveling in playing the deeper role in midfield. And that was probably the thing that we learned most from the clash.
Federico Chiesa struggled to make that much of an impact but having been thrown into the game after being out in the cold, that should be no shock. Playing as a number nine, too, he was always up against it.
Harvey Elliott did much better than he did at Chelsea on his last start, though he couldn’t take too much credit for his assist given Szoboszlai then fired the ball in from an angle.
He admitted post-match that he will have a decision to make this summer, after this, just his second league start. “It’s been hard with how much I’ve played,” Elliott told Sky Sports. “I’ve tried as hard as I could and whatever happens, happens.
“It’s about what’s best for my career. It’s about reflecting and seeing what I can do. I’m here at the moment and I’m focusing on the final game.”
For at least the first half, though he faded a little in the second and was then taken off to give Curtis Jones a go, Szoboszlai was the story. Announcing that his wife, Borka Buzsik, was pregnant after netting, he was the Reds’ Player of the Match.
At times this season, Szoboszlai has been excellent in possession; on occasions, he has offered all the physical attributes but lacked final product. Ironically, he made more of an impact in the final third after starting deeper than he often does, and it might be the way forward.
“I’ve had this thing with Szoboszlai, I actually think he’s got the qualities for central midfield,” Jamie Carragher had said on Sky Sports before kick-off.
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“When you describe his energy, it’s more what he does off the ball rather than what he does on the ball. And Liverpool are getting linked with a guy from Bayer Leverkusen.
“What might be interesting is, let’s say for instance that deal got done, Szoboszlai’s energy is vitally important to Liverpool. I think, could you do with that energy in central midfield?”
It’s definitely got to be worth considering. Szoboszlai was very good here and the experiment — against a good Brighton side — worked a treat. Whether Florian Wirtz arrives or not, it should be food for thought. In contrast, Chiesa and Elliott’s inclusions felt more like a token gesture than a serious test.
The risk with games following the title being wrapped up is that — with nothing riding on them — they become pointless. But this wasn’t. For Szoboszlai, it might be the future — though Alexis Mac Allister might also have something to say about that.
