Liverpool match-winner Szoboszlai is set to be unleashed by Arne Slot

There was a period early last season when Dominik Szoboszlai felt like Liverpool's standout player.

How the Hungarian adjusted to life at Anfield was admirable, and he impressed more than fellow new arrivals Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

It was as though Liverpool had finally found the perfect recipient of Steven Gerrard's legendary No.8 shirt - apologies, Naby Keita! - with the 23-year-old possessing similar attributes to the Reds' iconic former captain.

For every driving run, there was a relentless press, and for every long-range screamer, there was a lung-busting sprint back to help out defensively.

He looked like the complete modern footballer.

As the season wore on, however, Szoboszlai's influence waned, with Mac Allister turning into the star signing and Endo earning cult hero status, and things fizzled out for the former RB Leipzig hero.

Injuries played a part, as did Liverpool's general dropoff in form, but there is no doubt that some were left slightly underwhelmed in the end, harsh though that may seem.

Slot prefers midfield control over chaos

With Jurgen Klopp now gone and Arne Slot replacing him, Reds supporters are about to witness a change in system and approach, with the Dutchman's football likely to centre more around control than chaos.

Interestingly, Curtis Jones has spoken about Slot's use of midfielders and the freedom they now have, however, almost aiming a small dig at his former manager in the process, saying:

"My way of playing has always been a kid who wants to get on the ball and play, help the team, be comfortable on the ball. I then came around a team with world-class lads on the wing and up front. I felt like the centre midfielders were more disciplined runners.

"Of course, the principles are the same but now the midfielders are going to be the heart of the team. In terms of our build-up and being comfortable on the ball, we have to be more calm and play more as a team. We’re not in a rush to attack. We want to have the ball and break teams down. I feel more in the past, it was like a rush. We got the ball back. It was a bit too direct I’d say. Arne wants us to get the ball down and completely kill teams."

Seeing how Jones fares with being able to play more of a natural role, rather than one similar to the job Gini Wijnaldum did so brilliantly for years, will make for intriguing viewing, but the same applies even more with Szoboszlai.

When it comes to Liverpool's No.8, it is going to be fascinating to see how Slot uses him, with Liverpool's new boss making it clear that he wants fluidity when it comes to formations:

"I’m a bit…sad might not be the right word, but I was hoping if people looked at my team they would not say it is 4-2-3-1 or it is 4-3-3 or whatever formation you want to call it.

“I was hoping they would say there is a lot of freedom when they have the ball to take it in different positions. So sometimes it is a 4-2-3-1; sometimes it is a 4-1-4-1; sometimes we do build up with three. So there’s a lot of ‘freedom’ when we have the ball."

In Slot's first-ever game in charge of Liverpool, against Real Betis in America, the Dutchman deployed a 4-2-4 formation, with Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott both almost used as false nines.

Szoboszlai given more attacking role

True to his manager's words, though, it wasn't always clear where he was playing, but there is no question that he was handed a far more attack-minded role than he was ever given under Klopp.

The Reds reaped the rewards, with Szoboszlai scoring the only goal of the game, and it was a promising overall performance from the Hungarian superstar.

Even being slightly critical of Klopp can feel like sacrilege, considering the incredible times he gave us and the remarkable success that came his way, but his use of midfielders was always functional.

They were the understated supporting cast, while everyone around them invariably made more headlines, whereas as Jones alludes to, the midfielders are set to become leading men under Slot.

With Szoboszlai, that is a mouthwatering prospect, considering the elite technical ability he possesses, and the fact that he is capable of being a match-winner when let off his leash.

He may never have been a player with relentless end product, not reaching double figures in a league season for goals or assists, but if he is given the licence to play a free role in front of the likes of Mac Allister and Jones, he could explode next season and beyond.

Overall, Szoboszlai's first year at Liverpool was perfectly adequate and threatened to be great at one point, but there is still so much more to come and Slot feels like the perfect manager to get the most out of him.

It feels like the end of the Reds' midfield being the engine room that has to be functional over flamboyant, and no player in that area of the pitch is going to be more exciting to watch than Szoboszlai.