Before his art shot gala against VfB Stuttgart, Dominik Szoboszlai took a few minutes to refresh his memories. The offensive player from RB Leipzig dug out an old Bundesliga game summary from August 2021.
Opponent at that time: VfB Stuttgart. Double goal scorer back then: Dominik Szoboszlai. “I looked at the videos again. That gave me a good feeling,” reported the Hungarian international after the 2-1 win over the Swabians.
The overtime in front of the screen worked. With a wildly flying free-kick from 30 meters and a splendid acceptance shot from the edge of the penalty area, the 22-year-old from Leipzig shot to the trembling success against the relegation-threatened guests. But at least the first goal required some persuasion from the teammates. “I have to thank David Raum. He told me to shoot,” said Szoboszlai.
Colleagues put pressure on you
His teammates seem to have more confidence in his right foot than he does anyway. There’s no other way to explain why they’re bugging him. “They always annoy me that I should shoot. 15 times every game,” complained the offensive man, not meant to be taken seriously. “I did it twice and it worked twice. You keep bugging me.”
His possibly unique shooting technique is both a blessing and a curse for Szoboszlai. But the midfielder’s goals are by no means his only quality. The goals were “beautiful, important and great,” emphasized his teammate Xaver Schlager. “But I also see what he does against the ball. I’ve rarely seen a ten that’s so good defensively,” said the Austrian.
Since Marco Rose has been the head coach of the cup winners, Szoboszlai’s form has been improving. No wonder, after all, the coach already knew his current star when he was only 14 years old. “He’s incredibly ambitious. And of course his shooting technique is exceptional,” said Rose. Now the promised one just has to keep going.
Nkunku will be replaced
Before the start of the second half of the season, the question of how to close the gap left by the injured Christopher Nkunku was answered at Cottaweg after three games. Szoboszlai and his brilliant midfield partner Dani Olmo take on the job together. At Schalke Olmo shone with three assists and a goal, against Stuttgart it was Szoboszlai.
However, the duo will probably be separated for the time being. Olmo had to be out against VfB at half-time, the muscle in his back thigh was causing him problems. The 24-year-old will probably not be an option for the cup game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Wednesday. The club will be particularly careful with Olmo, because the Spaniard was often thrown back by injuries during his time in Leipzig.
On the other hand, the only way forward is for the team that played their 16th game in a row without defeat against Stuttgart. The provisional jump to second place was a reward, as was the gap to leaders FC Bayern Munich, which was reduced to one point. But you didn’t want to hang it that high. “Bayern do their thing, we do ours,” said Schlager.
