Dominik Szoboszlai reveals subtle change that’s TRANSFORMED Liverpool

Liverpool are back to winning ways and it might all be down to one subtle change. Dominik Szoboszlai reveals all in the wake of their 1-0 win over Real Madrid.

Liverpool saw off Real Madrid on Tuesday evening. It was arguably the best performance of the entire season - one of their very best of 2025, in fact.

Arne Slot's team largely controlled the game and would have won by far more if not for Thibaut Courtois once again putting in a world-class performance. The Belgian made eight saves and the only time he's managed more than that in a UEFA Champions League match was in the 2022 final (9).

Also against Liverpool, of course.

But it was the control that really caught the eye. Real Madrid failed to create any genuinely major chances and Giorgi Mamardashvili was largely untroubled as he saw out his second consecutive clean sheet.

So what's happened? This is a Liverpool team that struggled badly for any control in games up until the weekend but they appear to have found it.

Dominik Szoboszlai may have revealed the subtle reason.

Liverpool's subtle change

Szoboszlai talked with CBS Sports after the win on Tuesday where he discussed the reasons for Liverpool’s turnaround. He felt there was one main reason - clean sheets.

“Finally, we are keeping the clean sheets,” he explained. “I think that’s the most important [thing].

“We have a rule: five seconds and [get] behind the ball and I think last two or three games, everyone is doing it."

That’s a massive change to Liverpool’s defensive structure if they’re truly getting rigid with the five-second rule. The Reds can press high and leave space in behind but not for too long - they’ve got to get behind the ball if it’s not working.

And against the likes of Aston Villa and Real Madrid, teams looking to pass it out from the back, that plan is a fantastic one. Liverpool can overwhelm such teams, cutting off their entire attack.

The real test is whether it works against those teams looking to go long. That style has undone the Reds this season and we may need to see further adjustments.

But for now, the five-second rule is working and we’re seeing a more complete defensive performance as a result. Long may it continue.

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