Thiago adds an aesthetic dimension to Liverpool’s machine

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Publication Date: Thursday, September 17, 2020 2:53 AM

£ 25 million. That’s £ 2 million less than the new Leeds forward, £ 3 million less than Aston Villa paid for Ollie Watkins; Chelsea could have bought eight Thiago Alcantaras with your summer payout. Who needs imagination When can such an obviously brilliant signing be achieved?

Thiago is a wonderful footballer. And whether Liverpool really needed another dimension to add to a title-winning midfield, the Spaniard offers that different option: a manager to add to the abundant energy; a cool head on functional shoulders.

Jamie Carragher had been calling for Liverpool to join his team, to add new life, and he believes Thiago fits the bill.

“Liverpool have five or six midfielders, they rotate well because they need energy in that position, but a lot of the players are quite similar. Thiago would be something different ”.

Liverpool basically have running backs in the midfield. They are clever, of course they are, but they serve primarily as a mechanism to gain possession, as engines to wear down the opposition. The football they play is unforgiving and admirable; it’s devastating to even look at. But it is not beautiful.

Thiago offers an aesthetic that they weren’t exactly lacking – they clearly didn’t miss it – but it wasn’t there. He can take the ball under pressure, recycle it better than anyone else and his range and passing speed, together with his progressive nature, now gives Liverpool a different side to their game; another point of attack or a bona fide Plan B.

Liverpool attack from outside. Whether it’s flank or channel passes, or Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson crossovers, that’s where they’ll get you hurt. Stop that supply line and you’ll tame Jurgen Klopp. That has proven to be near impossible, but that’s the theory and, very occasionally, it has worked.

Klopp often has his sides punching balls across each other, making room for one or the other to cross. But if opposition defenders and midfielders are sufficiently trained, sit deep and glide across the field at speed and in unison, Liverpool can find it difficult to break through.

A ball at the feet of a central midfielder I was It is unlikely to lead directly to an opportunity. Of course I would sometimes, they certainly have enough talent, but it would be worth hedging their bets to make sure others keep quiet. The three forwards and the wings in particular require much more attention than those in the central midfield. Time for Georginio Wijnaldum with the ball can be dangerous, while space for Alexander-Arnold, for example, is fatal.

Thiago now hinders the enigma of facing Liverpool in theory as well as in reality. For him, time on the ball means, first of all, that you won’t see him for 90 minutes, and it also offers the possibility of suffering through a supply line from midfield as well as from width. Balls can be switched from wing to wing, or passed to Thiago, sitting deep and collecting passes through, over or around the lines. There is no limit to what you can do with the ball at your feet.

Manchester United and Chelsea fans will claim their acquisitions are better. Donny van de Beek and Kai Havertz offer the possibility of prolonged quality, given their age. But none of them, at this stage, are likely to have even the immediate impact of Thiago. At 29 years old, he arguably still has his best years ahead of him and has the experience and kind of game that’s more easily transferable to the Premier League, particularly on a team that is already so dominant.

Thiago will start running or pacing, as is his custom, keeping the ball and disarming defenses as he goes.

Liverpool could use one or two before the deadline: their squad it is still slim. But a couple more lengths and they may win the transfer window, as well as another Premier League title. Wouldn’t that be a slap in the face? for idiots who doubted them …

Will ford is on twitter



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