Szoboszlai demands Liverpool stop making excuses as Tyrick Mitchell emerges as January target

Dominik Szoboszlai has issued a blunt challenge to his Liverpool teammates, insisting the club must stop using transitions and departures as excuses and start competing for major honours — as reports link the Reds to Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell ahead of the January window.

Szoboszlai, speaking during the international break, pointed to the exits of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson as the latest in a string of changes Liverpool have leaned on to justify underperformance. “Every year, something is going to happen,” the Hungarian midfielder said. “So at one point we have to take the responsibility and stop making excuses, because we are Liverpool FC. We don’t have three years to renew everybody and start again. So I think it starts now and we are there again. It’s a long season.”

The comments carry weight given Liverpool’s modest start under new head coach Andoni Iraola. The Reds sit sixth in the Premier League after five games, six points behind early leaders Manchester City, though a hard-fought victory at Bournemouth offered some encouragement ahead of the October 11 meeting with City.

Iraola has 18 first-team players away on international duty and will be hoping they return fit, with a number of issues to address before the season intensifies. Chief among them is the left-back position, which has looked unsettled since Robertson’s departure. Milos Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas are currently competing for the role, with neither having fully convinced.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have identified Mitchell as a solution. The Crystal Palace defender is out of contract next summer, which could prompt Palace to cash in during January rather than lose him for nothing. Palace followed a similar path with Marc Guehi, who joined Manchester City in the summer transfer window — a precedent Liverpool will be well aware of as they assess their options on the left side of defence.

Beyond the defensive question, Iraola is also working out how to get the best from Florian Wirtz as Liverpool look to close the gap on City and champions Arsenal in the months ahead.