Hungary manager Marco Rossi has hit back at Liverpool boss Arne Slot after the Dutchman urged national team coaches to limit the playing time of his players during the international break. Slot, speaking after Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Brighton, said he hoped international managers would understand that his players have logged heavy minutes this season and would not play them for the full 180 minutes across two games.
Rossi, whose squad includes Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and left-back Milos Kerkez, responded by saying he has never spoken to Slot and would not interfere in his work. “I have never had a say in when the Liverpool head coach will play Szoboszlai as a defender. But I would also expect him not to interfere in my work,” Rossi said ahead of Hungary's friendlies against Slovenia and Greece.
Szoboszlai has been deployed at right-back on several occasions for Liverpool this season due to injuries, but has still managed 12 goals in all competitions. Rossi acknowledged the player's commitment, saying: “If Dominik wants to rest, of course I would let him. But everyone knows how important the national team jersey is to him as the team captain.”
In positive news for Liverpool, Florian Wirtz produced a stunning performance for Germany in a 4-3 win over Switzerland, scoring twice and setting up two more. The playmaker admitted it was probably his best display for his country, sending a warning ahead of Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City. Virgil van Dijk also scored for the Netherlands in a 2-1 win over Norway, while Alexis Mac Allister played most of Argentina's 2-1 victory over Mauritania.
