'Liverpool are more than just a two-man team - they've got the new Lampard too'

It takes more than a two-man team to win the Premier League title.

As Liverpool close in on domestic football’s big pot, there can be no doubt as to the twin pillars propping up the charge to the top. At the back, Virgil van Dijk. And up front, Mo Salah.

When you are around full-time professional football, people routinely ask who you fancy to finish on top of the pile - and the response from autumn time has always been the same. ‘Keep that pair fit and the Reds will be home and hosed…’

Without either for a significant length of time, the self-assuredness of any team would take a hit. In fact, that point has already been proven. Jordan Pickford’s desperate challenge on the Dutch defender saw to that a few years ago.

Eventually, the absences of top players seep into results. Nevertheless, the back of this campaign has been broken. Arsenal, suffering from a raft of injuries, have fallen by the wayside. Others were never seriously in contention.

Chelsea? Still an undercurrent of chaos. And, judging from their display at Villa last week, are way too open defensively to mount any challenge. Nottingham Forest - capable but limited - have been third in the standings for some time. All power to Nuno Espirito Santo. But the weight of pressure has finally told upon Manchester City, fissures turning into cracks.

So, this season’s isn’t a vintage competition. However, two men alone cannot make up a team. One man who appears to go under the radar but who is becoming increasingly important to Arne Slot is Dominik Szoboszlai. If anyone has stepped up to the plate during the past few months, it’s been him.

He gives this Liverpool side real energy and drive from midfield. He pops up in spaces with his late runs that make a difference - and he’s one of the best out there at doing it.

The Hungarian international is given the platform by Ryan Gravenberch. At this point, it’s interesting to note that Slot knew the 22-year-old defensive midfielder because of their shared time in Holland. The youngster started his career playing in a deep-lying role but, as he grew up, he began being moved about.

At this point, Liverpool’s boss needs a name-check. It’s well-established that the Reds were looking for a No.6 - as people today may baffle you with.The club pursued Martin Zubimendi, lodging a £60m offer for the Real Sociedad man.

Whether Slot turned up at Anfield and put the block on that, saying: ‘Save your money,’ we’ll never know. The narrative has been that the Spaniard turned the club down but, according to a contact of mine in the Netherlands, the Reds’ boss will have known about Gravenberch.

He has maintained him in that position - and both he and his midfield partner Szoboszlai have flourished. The blend is similar to that which Chelsea enjoyed when Claude Makelele did all the dirty work for Frank Lampard a couple of decades ago.

There’s no way that the England international would have ended his career as that club’s all-time leading goalscorer were it not for others plugging gaps when he strode forward. And if there’s one area Szoboszlai may look to improve next term - it’s in his goals output.

So far, his career has been characterised by a one-in-five strike rate. There is no reason why, given the timing of his runs, that should not be improved. After all, he’s still just 24 years old. Time is on his side.

If there has been one criticism, it’s that the the goals have not been shared around. The weight has been on Salah’s shoulders. Luiz Diaz, (10) Diogo Jota, (5) and Darwin Nunez (4) can hardly be described as prolific.

Add a regular flow of goals to Szoboszlai’s game - and his contribution to the Merseysiders’ cause may start grabbing the attention it should.