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LONDON – It took Liverpool nearly three months of pondering and prevarication before it suddenly jumped into action and completed the £ 20 million signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich last Thursday. Within five minutes of his debut against Chelsea on Sunday, one wondered why Liverpool took so long to decide on the former Barcelona midfielder.
– Liverpool standings: Mane 9/10, Thiago 8/10
– Chelsea ratings: Kepa, Christiansen win 4/10 in losses
– Reax: Kepa heats up on social media
It is true that we must not get carried away by a 2-0 victory and Thiago’s cameo in the 45th minute against Chelsea was reduced to 10 men after the expulsion in the first half of defender Andreas Christensen for a crazy rugby tackle on Sadio . Mane. This was the Chelsea that gives manager Frank Lampard nightmares, the Chelsea of individual mistakes and poor decisions that give the opposition points, but despite all the mitigating factors that should tone down Thiago’s praise, there can be no escape from it. The fact that the 29-year-old has already given Liverpool something new and different.
Coming in as a replacement at halftime for captain Jordan Henderson, who had complained of a tight thigh during halftime, Thiago strutted around the Stamford Bridge field as if he owned it, dictating the game as if he had been playing in the Premier League. League for 10 years. years.
“We decided to bring Thiago in early because it was 11-10 and a player like him can control the pace,” manager Jurgen Klopp said. “It was the perfect start for him and the guys really helped him.”
But while Thiago looked good and made an instant impact with his passing and his conscience, he also instantly changed the way Liverpool played. It was as if Klopp had flipped a switch the moment he sent Thiago onto the field.
Having been a team that has enjoyed European and national success by catching opponents with a ball overhead for players like Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane to pursue, Thiago’s entry suddenly turned Liverpool into a possession-based team. capable of doing to opponents what Manchester City has done with Pep Guardiola. With Thiago at the center of the midfield, everything seemed to go through the Spanish. He patrolled the middle third of the court, demanding the ball from his new teammates (sometimes telling them where to run) and then immediately moving it with a first pass to a red jersey in space.
Thiago made 75 completions during his 45 minutes of action, more than any Chelsea player during the 90 minutes, and the most of any player in 45 minutes since the Premier League began collecting such data in 2003-04.
Klopp, left, congratulated his new star, Thiago, after a brilliant 45-minute cameo that gave Liverpool what they lacked last season. MATT DUNHAM / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool’s first goal was an example of the change Thiago’s presence made in his offensive approach. A deft passing move in the final third, which involved Thiago as the focal point, ended with Mane heading home from close range after Firmino had played a strong one-two with Salah. It was a typical City goal rather than one I would normally associate with Liverpool, but Klopp’s team needed to evolve their approach this season and, just five minutes after their new signing came into play, Plan B was there for them. everyone will see it.
Plan B suggests that it is just a backup copy of Plan A, and that may be the case, but once Thiago secures a starting job, and it won’t take long, it’s impossible to imagine Liverpool not using it. as its creative force.
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It won’t go easy on Manchester United supporters, who quickly allowed themselves to get excited at the prospect of their club beating Liverpool to sign Thiago, but the new Liverpool No. 6 plays the game like Paul Scholes used to at Old Trafford. Scholes always seemed to have more time and space on the ball than anyone else around him. He could also pick a pass and score big goals, and that’s precisely what Thiago brings alongside Klopp.
At 29, he’s approaching the stage in his career where many start to dismiss players, but the way he plays – with his brain first and legs second – means he could easily play until 30. , just like Scholes did at United. Not surprisingly, Sir Alex Ferguson had set up a £ 17 million deal for Thiago to replace Scholes in 2013, only for his successor, David Moyes, to cancel the proposed transfer from Barcelona.
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Scholes had a tackling flaw and, having conceded a penalty after a clumsy stumble by Timo Werner, it seemed like Thiago was pulling another page out of the former United player’s book. However, Reds goalkeeper Alisson took out his new teammate by saving Jorginho’s penalty shot moments later, another indication that everything is working well for Liverpool’s machine at the moment, especially compared to him. Chelsea.
Christensen’s foul on Mane, which ended with a red card after a VAR review of referee Paul Tierney’s starting yellow, was an example of Chelsea’s lack of quality at the rear. And when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga grazed a direct punt on Mane for Liverpool’s second goal, you can imagine Lampard pleading with his club to speed up the deal for Rennes number 1 Edouard Mendy as a matter of urgency.
“A big mistake,” Lampard said, in clear frustration, when asked about Kepa’s latest and costly mistake. “It is a clear mistake and it has cost us.”
Kepa and Christensen were problems for Chelsea last season and neither have been sufficiently replaced. Thiago Silva will add experience when he’s fit to play, but Chelsea really needed a young and dominant midfielder this summer. Instead, they’ve loaded their squad with attacking talent with Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, but all the attacking quality in the world is of little use if you can’t keep the ball out of the net.
That is not a problem for Liverpool. A problem for them is how to keep Thiago out of the team, but it is not a bad dilemma that Klopp must wrestle with.
Source: espn.co.uk
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