If you wanted to see Thiago play ‘really well’ for Liverpool, you didn’t have to wait especially long.
He was superb on debut against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Man of the Match v Everton on full debut next time out.
But according to Garth Crooks, Thiago’s first decent outing in Liverpool red came on Saturday against Southampton…
We wonder if he’d have said that if the Spaniard hadn’t scored in injury time…?
“This is the first time I’ve seen Thiago Alcantara really play well for Liverpool. I don’t think it has been easy for the former Bayern Munich star to settle in at Anfield,” Crooks told BBC Sport.
“The Spain international took his goal very well and played with an authority I haven’t seen before. Granted, it’s been a difficult season for the Reds especially without their fans. With four games left to play and a Champions League spot up for grabs I can’t tell whether Liverpool have what it takes to make up the six-point gap at such a late stage in the season.”
Thiago’s endured a difficult season, but he’s put in a number of strong performances, especially when alongside Fabinho, and to make such an outlandish claim is simply lazy.
He’s actually won three official Premier League Man of the Match awards, and was outstanding in the Champions League against Rb Leipzig.
Why Jurgen Klopp didn’t start him in either leg v Real Madrid, we don’t know – but we class that as a serious mistake.
Thiago is going to be a huge part of the midfield next season. Hopefully alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson most weeks.