Liverpool “monster” is proving to be the next Gerrard

In early November, Liverpool were flying high at the top of the Premier League, but Arne Slot played town title claims, saying there would be “many challenges to come.”

There have been at that, but Liverpool have played like champions, have won in different ways, and approach the final stretch with a seven-point advantage over injury-hit Arsenal.

Liverpool and Slot have benefitted from the brilliance of superstars such as Mohamed Salah – whose return this season has been nothing short of ridiculous – but the Dutch coach’s magic can be found in the improvements to players like Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.

The Dutchmen have been integral parts of the multi-title charge, but in Dominik Szoboszlai, the Reds perhaps have an unsung hero who has made every bit the improvements as such peers.

He’s even been compared to Steven Gerrard…

Dominik Szoboszlai’s Gerrard comparisons

Szoboszlai, the thumping heart of Slot’s Liverpool team.

There’s an adage in football, attributed to Sergio Busquets: “You watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. You watch Busquets, you see the whole game.”

Now, now – Szoboszlai is hardly Barcelona’s iconic anchor man, but the same rule applies. He might not chalk up the numbers, but the 23-year-old’s relentless running and midfield completeness serve a distinct purpose at Anfield.

A purpose, perhaps, that could not be replicated by anyone else. In this way, he has been likened to a former all-action midfielder named Gerrard.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, pundit Stephen Warnock said this: “The long legs and the stride pattern, Dominik Szoboszlai has such similarities to Steven Gerrard.”

Big claim, but one that has substance. As per FBref, the Hungary skipper ranks among the top 8% of Premier League positional peers for touches, the top 7% for pass completion and the top 17% for progressive passes per 90.

A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.

Szoboszlai’s got a lot of quality, but he’s not Gerrard. Gerrard encapsulated every facet of the game, something truly unique.

He might just, however, have finally found his successor in Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool’s new Steven Gerrard

There may feel like a notable omission here: Jordan Henderson. Not to the discredit of the former Anfield skipper, but Van Dijk’s leadership qualities merged with genuine elite-class technical gifts make him a more apt new version of the historic Liverpudlian.

Jurgen Klopp pushed to sign Southampton’s star centre-back during the 2017 summer transfer window but failed. Liverpool returned. In January 2018, a world record (for a defender) £75m deal was finalised for Van Dijk’s transfer.

The rest is history. Van Dijk has lifted all the biggest prizes over 304 appearances and done so with the panache of a world-class sensation. In fact, pundit Michael Owen has even gone as far as to hail him as “the greatest centre-back of all time.”

He is now the Netherlands and Liverpool captain and chasing down a second Premier League title. Van Dijk is also into the Carabao Cup final having scored the winning goal in last year’s edition while leading a Liverpool team who topped the group phase of Europe’s elite club competition.

The myriad elements of the 33-year-old’s football converge to present a once-in-a-generation footballer. It is for this reason that he is shaping into Liverpool’s next Stevie G, having been hailed as a “monster” of a player by reporter DaveOCKOP.

Gerrard made his Liverpool debut in 1998 and went on to feature 710 times for Liverpool, scoring 186 goals and supplying 157 assists. Ian Callaghan and Jamie Carragher are the only Reds to have earned more appearances for the Merseysiders.

Widely considered one of the finest midfielders of his generation, Gerrard has been heralded by fellow pros, managers and pundits alike, and it would take a pretty special Liverpool player to assume his role in all its completeness.

Combative as a six, cultured as an eight and devastating as a ten, the former England captain was a man of many parts, and the sum of those parts was something greater still.

Van Dijk has what it takes to be viewed in a similar light for many years to come. Both players could be identified through their unbelievable composure and guile, with Liverpool’s current captain constantly barking at his teammates, urging them on and demanding excellence.

Another striking similarity is the pairs’ steadfast presence through different phases. Van Dijk has been partnered with Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren and Ibrahima Konate through different periods of his Liverpool career.

Likewise, Gerrard was Anfield’s superstar for more than a decade, servicing Michael Owen, Peter Crouch, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez over so many years.

By the start of the 2025/26 season, Van Dijk will be 34 years old. However, he’s showing little sign of regression, with his longevity a further measure of his Gerrard-esque ability.

Whether he will be a Liverpool player at that point is open to question, but it’s patent that fans near and far would delight in witnessing his contract renewal.

Fans are eager to turn to the summer transfer window of 2023 as the sliding doors moment that has fostered a team capable of winning the biggest prizes this season.

Park that thought. Van Dijk is the chief, the architect, and will go down as one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history. Gerrard’s (almost) career-long affiliation with Liverpool means that his legacy is nearly unsurpassable, but Van Dijk is every bit as good.

Klopp was asked about Van Dijk’s legacy, once. “I could write a book,” he replied.