He may appear the same, run the same, and hit the ball in the same manner. However, the Dominik Szoboszlai we see racing around in a Hungarian shirt is not what Liverpool fans are used to seeing at Anfield.

He is, of course, the captain of his country, and the caliber of the Hungarian national team is incomparable to Liverpool’s level of world-class skill. As a result, Szoboszlai must develop his style, cover more ground, and dominate the play even more than he did for Liverpool.

On Saturday night, Liverpool’s number eight had arguably his toughest test as captain, playing a powerful Serbian side in front of a sell-out crowd at Anfield.

Keeping up with the raucous atmosphere Szoboszlai flourished in that climate and made critical contributions that helped Hungary win in the end. The game was covered by Liverpool.com. Here are three observations.

He could only be stopped by the referee

Szoboszlai has been a constant source of energy for Liverpool since his arrival. But, long before he arrived at Anfield, he was pressing and covering big swaths of ground with the Hungarian national side.

Saturday night was no different. The Hungarian ran his socks off, frequently covering for his teammates and dashing up and down the pitch until the game was ended.

Serbia tried to keep him in check. The only time he was truly slowed was when he clashed with the referee in the 67th minute, sending him crashing to the ground as Hungary raced forward.

An enraged Szoboszlai banged the ground in exasperation, but because Hungary had held possession of the ball and was capable of mounting an attack, the referee never sounded his whistle. Instead, he apologized when the ball was out of play a few seconds later.

Taking penalty kicks

We mean it when we say Szoboszlai was all over the pitch for Hungary. He didn’t just cover territory in midfield; he also took goal kicks on a few occasions for Hungary in order to utilize his kicking power.

It’s not an experiment we’re likely to see at Liverpool anytime soon, especially given Alisson’s distributing skills, and it didn’t really benefit Hungary either.

Szoboszlai was missed in the middle of the park or to get on the end of knock-downs to latch onto loose balls and launch a new attack when he took goal kicks.

Andy Robertson’s proposal was proposed

This season, Andy Robertson has struggled in defensive transitions to fill his left-back job and return to his appropriate place on time. With Trent Alexander-Arnold inverting into midfield, this has been highlighted at times. Szoboszlai, on the other hand, could provide a solution based on his performance for Hungary on Saturday night.

While covering the majority of the pitches, the Hungarian frequently appeared on the left side of midfield, where he dutifully covered for Hungary’s left wing-back, Milos Kerkez. Szoboszlai was continually slipping into the left-back position and ensuring Hungary’s left flank was not left exposed when he bombed forward to join the attack.

Szoboszlai has usually played on the right side of midfield for Liverpool this season, however Jürgen Klopp did start him on the left in his first pre-season game. When Curtis Jones was suspended for Brighton, he transferred over.

Based on his performance against Serbia, playing him alongside Robertson again might be an interesting experiment, and one that could easily provide a solution to many of Liverpool’s vulnerabilities, given the former Hull City star’s natural desire to burst forward. Szoboszlai can cover the ground and fill the void.