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So far, there have been two contrasting stories for Liverpool’s biggest summer signings.
On the one hand, Diogo Jota has started his life at Anfield like a man possessed.
The versatile leader is second behind Mohamed Salah when it comes to goals, and his nine goals have already led the Reds to crucial victories in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers star has made a smooth transition to the Liverpool squad, handling the often intense and overwhelming expectations with minimal fuss.
In the three months of his Merseyside career, the £ 45 million man has lit the bonfire for debate over what constitutes Jurgen Klopp’s best attack.
Considering the scale of that task before his arrival in mid-September, that’s quite an achievement.
Now a full-fledged Portuguese international with three goals in his eight internationals to date, the forward has been talking this week of learning from none other than the great Cristiano Ronaldo.
“As Portuguese boys, we always consider him our main reference,” says Jota of Portugal icon Ronaldo.
That can only be beneficial in the future as you continue to learn your craft at the elite level.
A visit from his old club, the Wolves, this week provides him with the ideal opportunity to write another exciting page in what has been an exciting opening chapter in his Liverpool history.
Having turned 24 on Friday, Jota is now entering the phase of his career where potential can be realized.
With only a few months left on a five-year contract, Reds fans will be able to witness his golden period as they prepare to return to Anfield for the first time in nine months on Sunday.
On the other hand, Thiago Alcantara remains caught in the traps with no sign of being released until the New Year at the earliest.
It is perhaps not hyperbole to say that the two-time Champions League champion came in as one of the most renowned players ever to join Liverpool.
The club’s ingrained culture of creating stars rather than signing them meant that the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona midfielder could claim such a claim.
Certainly in the Premier League era, at least.
But despite his obvious class, the Spanish international remains down-to-earth, unable to make a forceful contribution in his early days.
The final whistle in Brighton last Saturday also caused a quiet demotion for Thiago.
His 135 minutes played so far mean he rests at the foot of the table for the entire Liverpool outfield team.
The fact that the likes of Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips are ahead of the 29-year-old on that list nearly three months after he signed says a lot about how strange this season has been for Klopp and his players.
In total, Thiago has missed a total of 14 games in his two and a half months as a Liverpool player.
The games against Lincoln City and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup he would have missed had he been fully fit anyway, but still paints an unflattering picture.
To be fair, Thiago could do little to prevent Richarlison’s dangerous lunge that has left him on the shelf since Oct. 17.
And much less could he do to avoid a coronavirus diagnosis before the now infamous 7-2 loss to Aston Villa earlier that month.
The midfielder completed the game at Goodison Park but has not been seen since and Klopp recently revealed that he will not return until 2021.
“The problem is in a situation like that, nothing is broken and nothing is broken and that means everyone thinks ‘okay, you can go after a few days’, but the impact on the leg was so great that it is still not okay,” Klopp said.
And while any team would benefit from having Thiago’s gifts on hand, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Liverpool haven’t missed him.
Simply put, they haven’t had him on the team long enough to feel the worst of his absence.
Which brings us to how things could go when he finally returns at the end of the year.
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Liverpool, in a way, have continued to lean on strength of character as they negotiate a list of crippling injuries that would have derailed most other clubs.
At one point or another, Klopp has been unable to summon virtually every member of his team, except for Andy Robertson and Gini Wijnaldum.
The absentee list currently stands at nine heading into this weekend’s visit from the Wolves, even if Klopp might be hoping one or two will give the green light in Friday night’s training session.
As the Reds continue to wade through the injured minefield with their fingers crossed, a Thiago in top form could be the perfect boost heading into the second half of the season.
Like a new signing? Maybe not, but a great injection of quality in a team that is already packed.
The most recent update from Klopp has put an end to speculation about where and when we might see Thiago next. For now at least.
Now the challenge for the player is simply to get back to 100% as quickly as possible.
He will still have a considerable voice in what happens with Liverpool’s pursuit of honors.
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