There is nothing to suggest Liverpool’s heated exchange after the 1-0 win over Wrexham in New York will become a major dressing-room issue, but the footage did underline how much leadership still needs to be defined this summer. Kostas Tsimikas, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones were filmed in the moment, with Tsimikas dropping the captain’s armband on the floor as the players walked around the pitch at Yankee Stadium.
That matters because Liverpool have not yet named a new vice-captain after the departures of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah. Szoboszlai was the skipper at kick-off in the Wrexham clash, which already placed an extra spotlight on the team’s internal leadership structure.
What happened after the Wrexham game?
The incident came after Liverpool’s friendly win earlier this week, when the players were filmed in a heated exchange on the pitch. The images quickly drew attention because they involved Tsimikas, Szoboszlai and Jones, three players who are expected to be part of the broader conversation around responsibility this season.
It is the sort of moment that can look bigger from the outside than it does inside the squad, but it still reflects the pressure around leadership roles at Liverpool. With a new manager in place and a reshaped group, those roles are no longer settled.
Szoboszlai’s leadership message
On Thursday, Szoboszlai addressed Liverpool’s leadership group in a press conference and made clear that the squad sees leadership as something wider than one armband.
“I think now a couple of guys left and maybe we are not the oldest in the team, but we have been here for a long time,” he said.
He added: “Flo (Wirtz) is the same example, Ryan (Gravenberch) is the same example, Macca if he comes back, Curtis, Alex (Isak), obviously Virgil (van Dijk), Joe (Gomez), Ali (Alisson Becker)... we are all in the same boat.”
That is a telling line in the context of the exchange. Szoboszlai was not talking about one voice dominating the group, but about several players sharing responsibility.
He said: “We want the best for the club and for each other. That means we have a captain in Virgil and we will follow him everywhere, what he and the gaffer are saying.”
And he added: “I think I can talk from everyone’s side, we want to be successful this season. And it’s a long-term, because we have a new manager and the team has been changed. In the long term, I think it will work out.”
Curtis Jones and the wider Liverpool picture
The discussion around Jones does not stop with the Wrexham footage. Liverpool.com says his contract expires next summer and Inter Milan remains keen, which gives his position added weight at a time when the club is still shaping the next stage of its leadership structure.
That is why the argument around Jones feels more significant than a single touchline moment. He is part of a group Liverpool appear to be relying on more heavily, even if the club has yet to formalise who will serve as vice-captain.
After the match, Jones later posted a series of pictures from the Wrexham game on Instagram, and Tsimikas replied with a heart emoji in the comments. That detail suggests the exchange did not leave lasting damage, even if the footage briefly raised eyebrows.
For Liverpool, the key issue now is not the argument itself but how quickly the new leadership picture settles. The club have a captain in Virgil van Dijk, but the vice-captain question remains open, and the wider group will be expected to show that the standards can hold during a season of change.
