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Is there anything more annoying in football than wanting to see a new signing in action, but being denied that emotion for one reason or another? There probably is, in all fairness, but that doesn’t take anything away from the frustration Liverpool fans have had to endure over the past few weeks.
For most of the summer, Thiago Alcântara dominated most of the transfer hype and whether he would leave Bayern Munich for Anfield. Then one afternoon in September, the deal was confirmed, and most of Kopites’ dreams came true.
Since then it hasn’t quite gone as planned, but none of that is Liverpool’s or the player’s fault. Shortly after the 29-year-old arrived, he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and fulfilled the required time on the sidelines and in self-isolation.
Then came the Merseyside derby, and finally it was the chance for Liverpool fans to see what it could do against its closest rivals. While he completed the full 90 minutes, a reckless challenge from Richarlison resulted in Thiago suffering an injury and he has not been around since.
It has been six games and five weeks since that afternoon at Goodison Park and, as a result, Liverpool fans are desperate to see Thiago in action. They are not alone. Jürgen Klopp and his back room staff, as well as the rest of the team, will also want to see the Spaniard doing what he does best.
It remains to be seen if we will see him against Leicester City tonight, after all he hasn’t been photographed in first team training for some time, until there were shots of him at the AXA Training Center this week. That said, Klopp didn’t rule it out when he asked him out with the midfielder at his pre-game press conference. However, there was an interesting conclusion to what Klopp said about Thiago in preparation for tonight’s game.
“In the early days we thought it would be resolved quickly, but it wasn’t. So that’s what you have to accept and we don’t rush. We prepare him for the rest of the season, not for the first game he plays. again, so that’s the situation. “
It was a pretty strange wound at the time it happened. Normally, a player leaves the pitch immediately for treatment, but in this case Thiago kept playing and only later was the extent of the problem understood.
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While fans are understandably eager to see Thiago on the court and injury free, Klopp and his team are doing the right thing by holding him back until the right time. It is important to remember that there are many difficult games ahead and they will arrive in large numbers over the next few weeks and months.
Klopp has always insisted that he only focuses on the next game in front of him, and while that is true, he will surely be on the lookout for upcoming games. Perhaps not in a specific sense, looking at the opposition, but more the number of games and the weight that each one has in terms of importance.
From now until the end of 2020, Liverpool has 11 matches in two competitions in the space of 37 days. There is not much recovery time, and keeping players fit and fresh is paramount to maintaining a good level of performance across the board for all players.
For Thiago, although he hasn’t played much since coming to Merseyside, there’s no question that if he’s in top form, he plays in major league games. That may mean we won’t see him until next weekend against Brighton, with Klopp possibly not risking it against Leicester, and he can rest him for the midweek visit to Atalanta.
It is a long term. As Klopp himself said, they are preparing Thiago for next season, not just for one particular match. While tonight’s game against Leicester is vital to the title race, even at this early juncture, the same could be said for every league game in this highly competitive season.
Liverpool have won our top trophies in the last two seasons without Thiago in the picture, so there is certainly enough quality there to fill the void in his absence. Of course you want to have him on your team if you have a choice, that’s a no-brainer, but it’s about taking a short-term loss for a long-term gain.
If leaving Thiago out for another game or two means Liverpool will have him available for the rest of the season, barring any other injuries, then it’s a no-brainer. There is a full season to plan, with the chance to compete in three separate competitions when 2021 rolls around.
Thiago will certainly be looking for a regular place in the team in the weeks and months to come, and the plan put in place by the club to protect his fitness makes that a possibility.
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