In the end, it took three Liverpool players to break Real Madrid’s resistance. The Premier League champions were looking for a breakthrough against Xabi Alonso’s side for an hour into their UEFA Champions League clash at Anfield, but their efforts were repeatedly denied by Thibaut Courtois’ heroics past Madrid.
Just when it was starting to look like it might be one of those nights for Liverpool, Ryan Gravenberch was awarded a free-kick dangerously close to the opposition penalty area, with Dominik Szoboszlai sending in a tricky ball that Alexis McAllister nodded brilliantly beyond Courtois to give the home side a valuable lead at Anfield.
The goal was decisive, as Liverpool’s 1-0 win lifted them into the top eight of the Champions League table. After a tough run in which they lost six out of seven matches in all competitions, the Reds’ victory over the La Liga leaders was their second win in a matter of days, following a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend.
The common denominator in both games? Returning to last season’s title-winning midfield of Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister, the three players showed themselves brilliantly against both Villa and Madrid.
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The trio coming together to score the winner against Alonso’s side was fitting, considering their skill and industry were perhaps the biggest factor in Liverpool’s burgeoning revival. Having spent much of the season looking unbalanced, the Reds looked far more solid with the restoration of their tried and tested engine room, while £100m summer signing Florian Wirtz thrived in a more advanced position against Madrid.
“In the middle of the park, (Liverpool) were fantastic,” former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol said on ESPN FC on Tuesday. “The three McAllister, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai were fantastic. Szoboszlai in the first half was absolutely world class and, in my opinion, Arne Slott did it absolutely 100% right because no one expected him to play with Wirtz (on the left) and he was allowed to drift. He got into positions to tie everything together. It was Liverpool’s dream zone.”
After spending months tweaking his lineup, it appears that Slot has finally returned to last season’s winning formula. But why did it take so long for the Liverpool manager to get back to basics? Could a return to a familiar midfield be the key to saving the Reds’ season? Did the Wirtz experience destroy Liverpool’s midfield?
Ahead of the win over Madrid, legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was uncritical in his assessment of Liverpool’s recent struggles, pinning some of their issues on Slott’s desire to integrate big-money signing Wirtz into his starting lineup.
Wenger told beIN Sports: “When Wirtz had the choice between going to Bayern Munich or Liverpool, he told Liverpool: ‘I will come to you if you play in the 10th position. I don’t want to play out wide.’” Wenger told beIN Sports. “Liverpool, they say well, to get him. They started with him and destroyed the midfield – which was Gravenberch, McAllister, Szoboszlai.”
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Al-Fateha: An impressive win over an amazing Real Madrid side
Arne Slott praised the performance of Liverpool, especially Connor Bradley, after their crucial 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
It may have been a bit harsh on Wirtz, whose performances this season have largely been at a level that would be expected from a talented young player adjusting to the pace of a new league. However, the 22-year-old’s hefty transfer fee has inevitably brought with it an intense level of scrutiny, and it’s fair to say he has struggled at times with the physicality of English football. Slott’s decision not to feature him in two of Liverpool’s biggest games of the season – at Chelsea and at home to Manchester United – was a quiet acknowledgment of that fact, with Wirtz’s shortcomings particularly exposed in the 3-2 defeat to Brentford last month.
“For a player who comes from a different league, which is a very good league by the way, nine out of 10 people would agree that the Premier League is a bit more intense, especially in all the matches,” Slott said of the Germany international this week. “If you look at it, he actually played a lot.
“He made his impact in a lot of games but was unlucky with the final product, either himself or his teammates. For me, he brought exactly what we expected, a player who created a lot for the team. He will have his goals, but I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that if you’re 22 or 23 and you move to a different league, you might need some time to adapt to that intensity if you play every three days, with only two days’ rest in between.”
But Wirtz has not been Liverpool’s only midfield problem this season. McAllister – who deservedly earned a place in last year’s PFA Team of the Year after an impressive individual season – has also struggled for form and fitness in recent months. After the 2024-25 season was curtailed due to injury, the Argentina international endured a very disruptive pre-season and for most of the season looked like someone still playing catch-up, completing the full 90 minutes only once (against Villa).
“It’s true that maybe the start (of the season) wasn’t what I wanted, it was a bit difficult for me,” McAllister told Prime Video Sport on Tuesday. “But now I’m getting my rhythm back, I just wanted to play a few games in a row, so I’m happy that I had the opportunity to play against Villa and again today. So, I’m really happy about that.”
Gravenberch has also seen his season affected by injuries, as he suffered an ankle problem during a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, ruling him out for three matches. Liverpool’s problems at right-back also had a major impact in midfield, where Szoboszlai was called upon to drop back as cover for Connor Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong. While the Hungary international has fielded efficiently in defence, Liverpool have suffered from a lack of energy and dynamism high up the pitch, while the constant changing of personnel in both midfield and defense has often made Slot’s side look like a team in flux. “Outstanding” Szoboszlai and Gravenberch key to the renaissance
The main reason for Liverpool’s success in the Premier League last season was their strength and consistency in midfield, with Grafenbrech, Szoboszlai and McAllister each starting 28 of the club’s 56 matches in all competitions. Against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the familiarity between the trio was evident and contributed to a smoother team, with Szoboszlai in particular showing his brilliance. Amidst all of Liverpool’s struggles this season, the 25-year-old has been a shining light, displaying the impressive brand of quality and leadership that has been pivotal in his appointment as captain of his national team in 2022.
“He always had a very high football IQ,” Zsolt Szekely, the academy director of Szoboszlai’s former club MTK Budapest, told ESPN in February. “He had an unbelievable technique. How he kicked the ball, it was something new for us. When he passed the ball, the players always gave it back to him. He always wanted the ball at his feet.
“He was always outstanding. I had never seen a complete player like him. It was always clear that he was going to be successful. His life was football. He was born for football. He didn’t have a smartphone, he didn’t have Facebook. He played football all day, with us or with his father. He was obsessed with it.”
This relentless drive for success has helped cement Szoboszlaj’s place as one of the first names on Liverpool’s squad this season. Against Real Madrid, he ranked first for shots on target (five), passes (40) and crosses (three), and second for touches (55), with Slott this week describing his work without the ball over the past two matches as “above his own standards.”
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Alexander Isak returns to Liverpool training before facing Manchester City
Liverpool manager Arne Slott provides a positive update on Alexander Isak’s fitness ahead of their match against Manchester City.
Gravenberch has also been among Liverpool’s standout players this season, with his continued development into one of Europe’s best midfielders, ranking high on Slot’s list of biggest managerial achievements.
“We are people who believe in God, and we believe God sent Arnie to us and to Liverpool,” the 23-year-old’s father, Ryan Gravenberch Sr, told ESPN last year. “He’s obviously Dutch, so when he explains something to Ryan, he can understand it very clearly. He communicates great. The main thing he said to Ryan is: ‘I’m going to play with you, so you keep playing’. He was very clear about that and it worked on both sides.”
While Liverpool are arguably still missing a more combative image of a player at the base of midfield, Gravenberch’s ability to advance the ball from deep is central to the way Slott wants his team to play, with the midfielder now also contributing high up the pitch, having already scored three goals this season (after scoring four in his first 87 appearances for the club).
“It helps that the team plays together more and more.”
Of course, Liverpool still have a lot of work to do to prove that they are truly back in business. The win over Madrid was a statement, but it will mean little if Slot’s side fail to back it up with a similarly improved display against Manchester City. Given the impressive nature of his side’s midweek performance, it would not be surprising to see Slott sticking with the same starting XI at the Etihad Stadium, where Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister all excelled in the same game last season.
“I don’t know if we should focus too much on these three midfielders,” the Liverpool coach said when asked about the trio in his pre-match press conference. “It’s true that I wasn’t able to play with them many times together (this season) for obvious reasons – mainly injuries. Not only in midfield sometimes, but sometimes in other positions. That’s why I needed Dominic in different positions. It’s useful for the team to play together more and more.”
That sense of rhythm and continuity certainly seems to have helped Slot’s team over the past two games. If his favored midfield trio can maintain those levels against City, this week could represent a real turning point in Liverpool’s season.
