A serious problem haunting Liverpool was noticed by both rival Premier League experts and pundits like Jamie Carragher last season. However the problem has already been resolved by Liverpool. Liverpool performed poorly last season due to the lack of players with good speed and physicality. But now Liverpool’s new signing Dominik Szoboszlai coupled with Darwin Nunez might bring speed and dynamism in Liverpool’s counter pressing play.
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez finishes among top 5 fastest players in premier league
Darwin Nunez has a great reputation when he emerged as one of the Premier League’s quickest players during his rookie campaign. There aren’t many players that can compete with or restrict him when he’s at full capacity. In fact, Nunez’s top speed of 36.5 km/h in 2022–2023 was the fifth-highest of any player in the premier league. Thus he was only trailing behind Kyle Walker of Manchester City (37.3 km/h), Brennan Johnson of Nottingham Forest (36.7 km/h), Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea (36.6 km/h), and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle (36.6 km/h). The Uruguayan also recorded a great average speed (35.4 km/h) in the Champions League. Thereby finishing in the top 20 among speedstars. Mudryk and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé tied for second place at 36.6 km/h while Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies finished first at 37.1km/h.
Dominik Szoboszlai, the new speedstar at Anfield
Most interestingly, Nunez might face a new challenger for the title of speed king of Liverpool. He is Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s most valuable star this summer who joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig for $77 million. The Hungarian finished 10th among UCL’s top speedstars in 2022-23 season in Europe last year with a 35.9 km/h average. For comparison, that placed him five places ahead of Kylian Mbappé of Paris-Saint-Germain (35.6 km/h). HE was also one spot ahead of his ex Red Bull Salzburg teammate Erling Haaland (35.8 km/h), who he will soon face at Manchester City. It is clear why Jürgen Klopp considers him to be so appealing. Top speed is a flawed indicator, but it is plainly evident at this point that Szoboszlai is quick once he gets moving. This may not have received enough attention in the weeks after his move in early July.
Liverpool had significant midfield issues the previous season. The Reds were frequently outpaced in the middle of the field in addition to being beaten and outmuscled. An analyst for a rival Premier League team claimed that they had identified the players’ “inability to stand up physically” as a major weakness. In addition the lack of pace among an older squad was a significant contributor to the issue. Thankfully, Szoboszlai appears to be a near-perfect athlete. In addition to being extremely quick, he finished 52nd overall for distance travelled during his last Bundesliga season (293.6km). He also ened up in 28th place for long runs (2,069). Most importantly, the hungarian ran the seventh-most sprints (863) in Bundesliga. Hopefully both Nunez and Szoboszlai will show their mettle this season and lead Liverpool to a good season.
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