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After defeating Lincoln City with an outstanding 7-2 victory in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, Liverpool will once again focus on the Premier League before their decisive clash with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at Anfield on Monday for the night.
The champions will be looking to score three wins out of their first three Premier League matches, as will their north London opponents.
For that match, we can expect to see several key players return to the starting lineup, with new signing Thiago perhaps the player most Reds are eager to see in the starting lineup.
The 29-year-old has yet to make his first start for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and it’s unclear where the German manager will face him, specifically because who are you evicting from that current Premier League-winning team?
However, as Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders said this week, Thiago has been bought “not as a problem, but as a solution.”
You can understand exactly what he means by that because the midfielder possesses such a unique skill set that it adds a dimension to Liverpool’s midfield that did not exist before.
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His touch is impeccable, his vision is almost unmatched, and he can execute exquisite passes that most other players would not even dare to attempt. Beyond that, he’s calm and collected, an effective presser without the ball, and frankly a likable character in every way.
The Spanish international received much applause after his cameo at Stamford Bridge. However, it could be argued that perhaps they were a bit exaggerated.
It may seem like a bold statement on the surface, but with further explanation the point becomes clearer. Most of the flattery surrounding Thiago came from behind, a certain Opta statistic.
While the above is a good bowstring for Thiago so early in his Anfield career, with the context, was he really that extraordinary? Chelsea started the match by taking an approach that saw them sitting deep, reluctant to build relationships with Liverpool, and instead hoping to hit them on the fast break.
This allowed Klopp’s team to control and dominate the game from very early on. That dominance only intensified after the red card reduced Chelsea to ten men, which in turn allowed Liverpool to push higher up the field. The following highlights the difference in the positions of Liverpool players from the first half compared to the second half.
The key beneficiary of the above was substitute Thiago, who replaced Jordan Henderson in the role of DM at halftime and was able to play much higher than the Liverpool captain in the first half.
As the key link between both flanks on a winger who would dominate for the entirety of the half, Thiago would be expected to see a lot of the ball, as I’m sure Henderson would have if he had stayed on the field for the second half.
Thiago looked soft on possession, however most of his passes went sideways and to keep the ball moving, rather than breaking the line of penetrating balls into the penalty area, the kind that may have drawn the most applause. justified.
None of the above is a criticism of the midfielder for his performance, in fact far from it. It was certainly a decent first race for him in the famous Liverpool red. However, if you thought his performance was something special this past Sunday afternoon, buckle up because his truly elite performances in the Premier League are yet to come.
With a bit of luck, we can even see a true masterclass from Thiago in this Monday’s clash against Arsenal.
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