‘I can’t sleep’: Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai admits sleepless nights amid club’s nightmare defence of Premier League title

Two words, a glare then silence: if fury and frustration was in the stands at Anfield on Wednesday night, Dominik Szoboszlai quickly proved it was swirling around the dressing room, too.

This has been a season in which Virgil van Dijk has consistently put himself front and centre to explain Liverpool’s failings and he was there again after the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, a result and performance which did nothing to quell the anxiety of supporters.

But as the clock creeped towards midnight, Szoboszlai, the consistent shining light in the campaign, emerged from a corridor carrying a washbag in his hand and Liverpool’s troubles on his shoulders. He didn’t have to be here – he most likely didn’t want to be here – but he was ready to speak.

How did he feel about what had just happened?

‘Not good,’ came the blunt response, triggering a five-second silent void that felt considerably longer.

In fairness, how was he supposed to answer? It would have been preposterous to attempt to provide any platitudes. We all knew what we had seen, and have seen, over the last ruinous 14 games, in which Liverpool have conceded the first goal 10 times and had their confidence shredded.

Szoboszlai hadn’t come to try and sugarcoat the situation and he wasn’t interested in some attempts to look for positives, such as only being a few points away from the Champions League places and having time on their side to turn things around.

 
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Dominik Szoboszlai didn’t try to hide away from Liverpool’s poor form recently

 
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The Hungarian admits confidence has taken a hit in the Anfield dressing room

One of the reasons Liverpool signed the Hungary captain in 2023 was because he stood out not only in terms of quality but from a leadership point of view; he was someone who wouldn’t go missing and could carry the responsibility that comes from playing at Anfield easily.

The look on his face, then, as he began to dissect another 90 sobering minutes and the latest misstep was revealing. There was fire behind his eyes and he began to speak of his intense disappointment, the honesty made you think of how another Liverpool number 8 would talk in difficult times.

‘It is important to me,’ Szoboszlai emphasised, a line you would hear Steven Gerrard stress. ‘It is something that, as a Liverpool player, we shouldn’t be accepting to be in this situation. To draw at home? Sunderland have a great team, of course.

‘But if we were in the same situation last year, there is no way we would lose points at home. That is what we are missing now. We have to get back to winning ways, but there is a lot of work to do. I try and we try our best every game. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

‘When you aren’t winning, the confidence goes down a little bit. But we are professional enough to get confidence from your own mind or from somebody else. We talk to each other and give each other confidence during the games and sessions. Once it clicks hopefully nobody can stop us.’

Hope, however, is in short supply. There are questions about everything at the moment: can Arne Slot turn the situation around? Will Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak provide value for their considerable money? Have Liverpool indefinitely lost their aura.

It is troubling Szoboszlai immensely. At the final whistle on Wednesday, he sought out Hugo Ekitike and hectored him as they walked off the pitch, scowling and jabbing the air at a moment squandered. There was an explanation for that, as there was an explanation for his mood.

‘We had practiced two days ago from the same position,’ Szoboszlai revealed. ‘We always shot with the inside of the foot, but now he tried to smash it as hard as he could. At least he had the chance – we have to take the positivity out of the negative side as well. The next one, you are going to score.

‘So we just had a little conversation. There are ups and downs. In the first season, we won the Premier League (with Slot). Now, there are situations we have to find a solution for. He will find a solution, but it is not only him. It is also us players because we are on the pitch.

 
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Liverpool travel to Elland Road to face Leeds on Saturday evening

‘He can give the structure and the ideas. Even if they are good, we have to give our best and that is what we try to do every game. Don’t get me wrong, we are not here to lose. We want to be as smooth as possible, but sometimes it doesn’t work.’

Will it work at Elland Road? His brow furrowed when he pointed out that Leeds are playing better than their position suggests and a 3-1 battering of Chelsea indicates they will be ready to put another puncture into Liverpool. Szoboszlai doesn’t even want to consider the ramifications.

‘I’m not going to watch this game back,’ said Szoboszlai, who revealed his one hour drive back to his home provided ample time to mull things over. ‘Actually, I never do. I can’t sleep but that is not because of the result – that is because of the game. Because I am awake, I will think.

‘But it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s the whole package, the whole team and the whole situation, we have to find answers for it. We have the people who can come up with some ideas. And then we will see. That’s why we love football. Sometimes it is hard, but hard times make you stronger.’