Former Liverpool man Glen Johnson has sprung to the defence of midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai who was involved in a heated confrontation with fans after the Reds’ dismal 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.
The 25-year-old went over to the travelling supporters at the end of Saturday’s quarter-final humiliation at the Etihad Stadium, and appeared frustrated by the reception.
He was seen shrugging his shoulders and waving his arms at fans – a reaction which did not go down well – before team-mate Federico Chiesa helped him move away.
After the game Szoboszlai was critical of himself and his team-mates, saying: ‘The mentality wasn’t there enough. None of us were there to be honest as much as we could. It’s a hard time but we have to stick together. On Wednesday, there is another chance but we have to get in our head this is not the season we would like to end.’
And now defender Johnson, who played 200 games for Liverpool between 2009 and 2015, has said Szoboszlai can be forgiven for being angry – and that fans should not want him to lose that ‘character trait’.
Dominic Szoboszlai gestures to the Liverpool fans after the defeat at Manchester City
Johnson told CasinoWizard: ‘The fans had the right to be frustrated and angry and so did the players.
‘It was a big game and they got annihilated. Emotions were running high, and when players do react, it’s because they care. Nobody is going to be happy after that result.
‘The players would have been fuming inside. All the players who have a passion to win want to be the best. But at the same time, passion needs to be controlled. There are obviously times when it can overspill and lean into something more negative.
‘Even if that was a character trait, I don’t think you want to take that away from someone.
‘You just need to try and manage it the best you can because that’s what makes some players different from others. How much they care, how much they want to fight, and how passionate they are is what makes them perform.
‘It’s not a job for [Virgil] van Dijk or [Arne] Slot either. It’s almost a personal responsibility. People who overreact or have outbursts are the only ones who can fix it. They need to work on themselves.
Man City’s Erling Haaland completes his hat-trick in a miserable 4-0 drubbing for Liverpool
‘The manager or Virgil or anyone can go and put an arm around him, but that isn’t going to do anything. We’re all men, we’re all human, and we all want to be the best versions of ourselves we can be.
‘So, if someone has an outburst that isn’t needed – and I am not saying that’s what has happened – only they can work on it. It’s kind of a weird trait; you can’t talk someone out of doing it. An outburst is literally that – they just lose control for a moment.
‘Everyone has experienced it, both inside and outside of football, in everyday life. Anyone can have a silly argument and then think afterwards, maybe I shouldn’t have said that or I didn’t need to react that way. It’s just how we process those reactions.’
Liverpool are back in action on Wednesday, when they visit Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
