Thiago Alcantara

[Doc_Piptorious]

Gut feeling.

He's gone from the best/one of the best midfielders in the world, to a fairly average Joe. The pace is too much for him.

Let him go and lord it up at Juve or somewhere.

Don't think he will leave unless he is having issues settling, but if he did I think it would be to go back to Bayern. They have missed him badly in the middle the season just gone despite the quality they still have.

Think next season though if we have players back we will see him looking closer to how he was at Bayern.

There he played as part of a trio with Kimmich and Goretzka, and those two did a lot of the shielding and defensive for him. We have two players who play in similar roles in Fabinho and Henderson. Think that Bayern style of midfield play was what Klopp was aiming for this season before the injuries started racking up.

Think we have a number of less effective midfielders, either through lack of impact when they play play and/or general unavailablity, that I think may either be moved on or fall further down the pecking order before Thiago does.

We very much need some fresh blood in the middle though, as our cover is either moving on, getting old or just usually out injured a lot. My own preference would be if Wijnaldum goes (which seems like it is happening ) then also move Chamberlain and Keita on as well and bring in two like Zakaria and Tonali as that would add size, height, mobility, a reduction in age, skill and grit.

Wijnaldum, Keita and Chamberlain would be out of the squad and the three back ups would be Tonali, Zakaria and Jones plus we would probably still have Milner floating about should he not try to get a move to finish his career at Leeds.

[Buzzo]

I get that but there's a lot of our team who have gone from being brilliant to poor in a period of 12 months. There's something wider happening. Against Newcastle there was a moment where he received the ball just outside the box, looked left and right and there was absolutely no movement from the forwards and no runs from midfield. There was literally nothing on at all. Not sure what he is meant to do with that.

The thing is we created loads of chances vs Newcastle so creating from Midfield wasnt an option, I thought Thiago had a great game for once.

I think even the players just have to write this season off and go again next.

[kev776]

We’ve enough holes to fill in midfield without losing Thiago too.
Gini is already off. Many have packed Keita’s bags for him. Ox is basically Lallana at this stage.

No way Thiago is gone as well after one difficult season with a boatload of extenuating reasons.

He needs a fit Hendo and Fabinho around him so he can concentrate on his game and not run around firefighting.

[RichC]

He's clearly a very talented player but I do worry he's a bit of A Veron where he's absolute class but the pace of this league is too much for him.

Don't think he'll be off in the Summer unless he wants to go though.

[Kenneth]

Yeah, I don’t know whether he’ll really come good, but I would be amazed if he wasn’t given another season.

[Tribute]

He's made more tackles (and mistimed a fair few) than others in that midfield three... so I don't think it's the pace of the game. It's more him doing a role that isn't what he was doing in Bayern.

Technically, it's clear he's a cut above the others and his vision for a short, forward incisive pass is very apparent. He's just suffering like the rest of them without a settled side playing in their proper positions.

If we didn't have the injuries we've had this season, both him and Jota would have been seen as great additions to an already talented squad...

[Fosterbloke]

I hope he stays and helps Jones become a world class midfielder.

[Exiled_red]

He's clearly a very talented player but I do worry he's a bit of A Veron where he's absolute class but the pace of this league is too much for him.

Don't think he'll be off in the Summer unless he wants to go though.

Oddly enough I was thinking of the Veron type comparison after the game at the weekend, he's clearly a talented player but doesn't look suited to this league based on what we've seen so far. Hopefully he will prove us wrong next year in a more settled side.

Yeah, I don’t know whether he’ll really come good, but I would be amazed if he wasn’t given another season.

As you both say I would be amazed if he isn't here next year, only way I can see that happening is if he hasn't settled and wants out or someone puts in an offer that is too good to refuse (but I don't see that happening).

[Buzzo]

He is amusingly slow.

Played well on Saturday though.

[BobTheCharmer]

He needs a fit Hendo and Fabinho around him so he can concentrate on his game and not run around firefighting.

A midfield of Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago? How many goals are in that trio? 3 between them? Just piles more pressure on the front 3. Absolutely nothing solved with that solution I'm afraid.

[frank the tank]

A midfield of Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago? How many goals are in that trio? 3 between them? Just piles more pressure on the front 3. Absolutely nothing solved with that solution I'm afraid.

Not sure I agree.

That trio in midfield enables our full backs to play so high up the pitch. The formation almost becomes 2-5-3.

Also we press a lot better, get the ball back and send our forwards through again. And again. And again.

I do agree that if Mane and Firmino have equally **** years next season though that we will continue to struggle.

[Kenneth]

And how many goals come from the fullbacks? Not many, especially from the left.

[Pablo]

And how many goals come from the fullbacks? Not many, especially from the left.

In terms of goals we're down on goals in almost every position IMO:

Robertson - 1 goal - under performing (can't shoot but should still get 2/3 season)
CBs - 0 league goals from any of them - (feels like we'll never score from a corner ever again)
Trent - slight under performing (arguable, but based on his talent I think he should get a few more a season)

Fabinho - 0 goals - (would expect him to score 2/3 but he's been moved about so much I can let that slide)
Wijnaldum - 2 goals - maybe slightly-underperforming (not his role to score regularly, but he's capable of a few more)
Thiago - 0 goals - slightly-underperforming (same as Gini really)
Henderson - 1 goal (obviously injuries, but he's another low scoring midfielder)

Mane - 8 goals - majorly underperforming
Firmino - 6 goals - majorly underperforming
Salah - 20 - Slightly overperforming
Jota - 8 goals - Slightly overperforming

We definitely have a long-standing problem with goals from midfield IMO. I'd argue only Jones could help with that but that's all potential at the moment.

We also equally have a problem with goals from CB. We used to get quite a few from Virgil and Matip, even Lovren would get a couple. That well has completely dried up and losing those "easy" goals from set-pieces is a killer.

As for fullbacks, I think Trent could get a couple more, but Robertson is a shambles. His shooting is as bad as my driving, shanks all day long. Both chipping in with a few more would be a big help.

In summary, it's hard to pin much blame on Thiago when so many others also aren't scoring nearly enough.

[danperkins]

The pace is a concern, he's so slow but I thought he was excellent vs Newcastle lots of snappy defence splitting passes up to our blunt strikers. Whether or not he can push on in the prem next season & look like the player we thought we were getting time will tell but he's going nowhere imo.

Agree with above that the lack of goals from other areas, especially the midfield is an issue. I think the fact that Firmino & Mane have played so poorly this season and their production have been so poor that it is highlighting the lack of production elsewhere in the side.

[Doc_Piptorious]

The pace is a concern, he's so slow but I thought he was excellent vs Newcastle lots of snappy defence splitting passes up to our blunt strikers. Whether or not he can push on in the prem next season & look like the player we thought we were getting time will tell but he's going nowhere imo.

Agree with above that the lack of goals from other areas, especially the midfield is an issue. I think the fact that Firmino & Mane have played so poorly this season and their production have been so poor that it is highlighting the lack of production elsewhere in the side.

I do not see his pace as a concern tbh.

He does seem a little off it pace wise compared to last season with Bayern, but the guys is in a new country at a new club where the first team has been disjointed for months and is coming off of a bad injury and also from having had covid 19.

Put him in with a fully functional team with movement around him and he will use the ball to be his pace.


Even at Bayern the centre of midfield was never a big goal source so him, Fabinho and Henderson look well placed to be a dominating style centre for us that will allow us to dictate play and both force and protect a high line. Think with that trio in the middle and a back line with the regulars back, we would see the team look a lot more solid and be better equipped to put pressure on iother teams compared to now.


What we do need though, imo, is a few new midfielders to come in over the next transfer window or two and replace Wijnaldum and a couple of the unreliables. That way we still have the quality and experience of the likes of Fab, Henderson and Thiago , but have the younger legs and aggression of Jones and a couple new midfielders.