Szoboszlai did not make up for his loose play in possession with quality moments as he only made one key pass and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
The 23-year-old whiz also ended the match – having played 61 minutes – with zero clearances, blocks, interceptions, or tackles to show for his efforts, which suggests that he did not do enough to close down or disrupt the likes of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin de Bruyne.
Overall, he did not offer much in the way of quality from a defensive or offensive perspective, which is why it was a disappointing display from him.
As you can see in the table above, the Hungarian dynamo has provided quality as a passer, a creator, and a tackler throughout the Premier League season, since his move from Leipzig, and his performance against City was far from his usual standard.
With a quarter-final clash with United at Old Trafford to come on Sunday and Liverpool’s healthy aggregate lead in mind, Klopp must now ditch the attacking midfielder after his underwhelming performance against City.
Dropping the 6 foot 1 star to the bench would then open up the space for the manager to unleash Clark from the start to reward him for his impressive cameo off the bench against Sparta Prague in the first leg of the tie.
Liverpool were 4-1 up, thanks to goals from Mac Allister, Darwin Nunez (x2), and Luis Diaz, when they decided to bring the young talent onto the pitch in the 65th minute.
The 19-year-old whiz grasped his opportunity to impress in the middle of the park with a composed and combative performance for the Premier League giants.
He completed 85% (17/20) of his attempted passes and created one chance for his teammates, which shows that Clark was reliable on the ball without being too safe, as the talented ace was able to create an opportunity in the final third.
It was his work out of possession, however, that really caught the eye. The former Newcastle prospect won an eye-catching five of his six duels as he won five tackles and made one interception to retrieve the ball for his side.
For context, no Liverpool player had averaged more than 2.1 tackles per game in the Europa League ahead of that match, and Clark now leads the squad with an average of five – with that being his only appearance of the European campaign.
Newcastle Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder previously described the teenage gem as an “exciting” prospect who reminded him of “Gazza” with his raw skill.
The reporter claimed that he could see similarities between Clark and the former Magpies star Paul Gascoigne, given their respective ability on the ball, and went on to say that the forward could go on to become a “complete” player.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Liverpool youngster will go on to score ten goals in 57 caps for England or shine in the top-flight for multiple clubs as the iconic midfielder did, but the 19-year-old wizard has offered glimpses of his mercurial talent at first-team level.
As you can see in the table above, Clark started against Southampton in the FA Cup last month and caught the eye with a terrific display with his reliability and quality on the ball, and his combative defensive work out of possession.
There could also be more to come from the England U19 international as his form for Liverpool at youth level suggests that he can also offer a threat as a scorer of goals, as well as a creator of them.
The Reds youngster racked up 18 goals and 11 assists in 61 appearances for the club at U18 and U23 level combined before his senior breakthrough, which highlights the potential he has as an attacking player.
This season, Clark has scored three goals and provided four assists in nine outings for the U23s, which shows that he has the talent to make a big impact in the final third.
Therefore, Klopp must now provide him with another opportunity to impress from the start against Sparta Prague after his promising first-team performances and Szoboszlai’s underwhelming display against City, as the ‘Gazza’ like starlet could catch the eye in the middle of the park.
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