06 Mar 2021 11:01:15
Hi Guys, i just wanted to put a question out there what everyone thinks of Thiago? since he started the game against Newcastle on 30th of December when we were top of the league and playing well, its coincided with a real drop off in form from the team and a lack of goals. i know we don't create a lot from midfield anyway but he hasn't got one assist. he is obviously talented but is he maybe in the wrong team?

06 Mar 2021 11:15:23
I think he's having a tough time. He's come into a side who are badly lacking confidence and is struggling to make the impact I feel most fans were hoping for. He's not really a player I'd judge on goal output, he's never really been that sort of player. Look at last season for Bayern, he didn't register an assist in the Bundesliga all season.

Despite this you can see when you watch the quality he possesseses. Due to the lack of options in the team he's also playing a role where he is very much exposed and expected to do a lot of defensive duties. This was never the case in the Bundesliga and it's probably his weakest area. Get him playing alongside Fabinho and we will see a different player. Fab can cover defence and this will allow Thiago free roam (near enough) to move up the pitch and drop between the lines, where he plays best.

I for one haven't been too disappointed with him, I think he's arguably been our best midfielder along with Curtis Jones. Also when the whole team is performing so poorly it's always going to be difficult for people to see what sort of impact a player is having, as the results aren't going your way. For me it's a wait and see, I feel he's become a little bit of a scape goat for some.

06 Mar 2021 12:04:07
It looks to me like he doesn't fit your style of play, too slow. It's not 'the problem', but I don't believe it's helped.

06 Mar 2021 12:24:57
He’s struggling along with the rest of the team. He didn’t start against Newcastle though. He came on with about 20 mins to go. The week before he never featured at all against Wba and we were terrible in the 1-1 draw. In dec without Thiago we also drew with with midjtyland and Fulham where we were actually outplayed. A few weeks before that he didn’t play in the defeat to Atalanta or draw with Brighton. And our biggest defeat in recent years he was not in the squad. For me Thiago has not lived up to expectations but the whole squad have been way below standards.

06 Mar 2021 13:09:59
Of course not all his own fault but he has been terrible. His confidence has gone down and he drops deeper and deeper as each game goes on. He gets booked often and is a liability when defending. What people are saying is he will only be any good if he is playing alongside Fabs and Hendo. He doesn't deserve to be in the team atm.

06 Mar 2021 13:14:08
Henderson played against Newcastle, WBA, Brighton, Leicester and Everton. It's coincided with a real drop off in form from the team and a lack of goals! I could put other players names in where I have Jordan Hendersons. The whole team as a collective are not producing the goods.

06 Mar 2021 13:14:11
I’m struggling to decipher why we needed him at all.
I mean, he came to a team that were reigning champions of everything so he was supposed to improve it.
But he seems to offer his best work in a quite specialist role with a formation set up to account for him?
If the opposition put a man on him to limit his passing options, that’s him virtually out of the game and, worse than that, he becomes a liability because he can’t do the defensive work well or get about and press quickly.
But, saying all that, the team has been pretty poor overall anyway so we have to see what he can do when everyone is back next season.

06 Mar 2021 13:24:55
Gini is also playing a role that doesn't really suit him either, it doesn't stop him getting pelters.
When Thiago came on against Newcastle we weren't a team out of form, as we were still top of the League so I'm afraid that excuse can't really be used.
My concern is that Klopp is trying to shoehorn a player in that at this moment doesn't suit the way we play or used to play.
I can't buy the excuses that he only will come into his own when he has certain players beside him, surely that can be said for any player. He isn't showing much offensively or defensively for me, but I do agree that he is a good passer of the ball but it is having no impact on our results.
For me he is a luxury player, who lasts 70 minutes and hasn't played a single killer pass but seemingly the fault lies with everyone else except Thiago.

06 Mar 2021 14:02:48
He’s been totally abysmal like the rest of the team.

06 Mar 2021 14:06:19
He played a gorgeous world class pass in that last game. Such a special player.
It’s a shame so many on here have such a limited understanding of the game and so many are influenced by the media into clicking their negative articles about him.

06 Mar 2021 14:16:55
Who are you influenced by Mikey? Hmmmm! Anyway you put him in the team for one world class pass? Seems your understanding of the game isn't much better if you're playing him for the odd "holywood" pass. Just saying like.

06 Mar 2021 14:26:51
A special player no doubt. But at the moment he is having a negative impact on the team. He doesn’t help with attacking or defending and his confidence is down. He would be much better used as a sub with 20 minutes to go. Are you saying in is worth his place in the team atm Mikey?

06 Mar 2021 14:33:13
Thiago hasn’t been great (actually he’s way below what’s been expected) but he seems to be the fall guy here. We’ve been very poor this last 2 months but players like Bobby, Trent and Mane have been poor more often than not all season. Their form doesn’t coincide with Thiago coming back from injury. On Thu night it took us 85 mins to get a shot on target and we have scored 1 goal at Anfield in 2021 which was a penalty. We’ve also lost 5 games on the bounce at home. Every single player that has played in the games where we have lost, drawn or underperformed needs to take equal blame and responsibility. Regardless of how many times we spin it, our poor form isn’t just down to Thiago and Wijnaldum. Christ if some were to be believed it means that we have won a premier league and CL with only 10 men as Wiji never turns up and hides every game since he’s been here. On a plus note though great debate thread this and really enjoyed reading the comments above. Only thing missing is debating this over a pint.

06 Mar 2021 15:41:57
If we need to change our style next season to accommodate Thiago then we should. Recent results have shown that even professional athletes can’t play heavy metal football forever and every team has worked out how to bypass our high defensive line. Time for a change.

06 Mar 2021 16:02:25
Stoneage the tempo was reduced markedly last season, so I suppose that was the thinking behind Thiago’s acquisition.
But it fails to account for the sudden changes in tempo in games, especially in the PL where counter-attack has become so important but which our old midfield could handle quite easily.
I feel that Thiago struggles with this more, he’s a more measured player.
You wonder if he’d fit into Man City’s side better?

06 Mar 2021 16:33:35
Juicer I noticed a massive drop off in our play in the game against Wba where we never got out of 1st gear and big Sam sat 11 men behind the ball and we just pumped meaningless ball after meaningless ball into the box. It looks like Sam set the precedents for other teams Newcastle, Southampton, Burnley, Brighton and Leicester to set up to beat us. The only teams that haven’t set up like that Spurs, West Ham and Leipzig (we beat) and City and Chelsea who if were honest both were probably the better teams on the night.
Everyone seems to think the Villa game was a one off but we actually had our best back 4 out then and Fab in the middle. To be honest we were lucky it was only 7 that night.
So many of our players have been out of form this season. It’s a collective not just a few individuals causing it.

06 Mar 2021 16:52:21
JK - Firmino has been getting pelters for many months and critisism from all angles, way more than Thiago. Deserved btw, Trent also has had his share of flak. You are correct though on Mane his form has fallen off a cliff.

06 Mar 2021 16:56:37
Mark I agree that they have been getting pelters as well mate and I will openly admit I have been critical of Bobby. I have zero issue with people being critical of Thiago and Wijnaldum. What I don’t agree with though mate is people saying we are only losing games because of them.

06 Mar 2021 17:03:49
The problem starts and ends with the chronic injuries we’ve suffered, from VVD being assaulted by Prickford, Gomez breaking down on international duty through too much unnecessary football, Matip being Matip, which then caused us to lose our two best centre midfielders in Henderson and Fabinho, having to adjust for that has caused problems across the pitch. None of the rest of or available midfielders are what you could describe as being capable defensively in anywhere the same way that either of Henderson or Fabinho are, it’s just not in their skill sets. That’s compromised the tactics that we ordinarily employ as neither fullback have any cover from midfield and both centre backs have no cover in front of them, all in all until we can play two actual centre backs with Fabinho in front of them, it’s likely that our poor run will continue, as a centre midfield of any combination of Keita, Milner, Thiago, Wijnaldum and Jones is a recipe for defeat in our current system,

06 Mar 2021 18:30:53
Got it Jk mate.

06 Mar 2021 18:49:50
I’ve noticed one thing with our fans, in general they're so quick to pick a scapegoat and most of the time it’s underserved. Lucas, Henderson, joe Gomez, now Thiago. There’s been others along the way, the funny thing is certain players get supported to the hilt regardless of poor performances. Thiago hasn’t been great but he’s hardly been the sole reason for this form, nor has he been the worst player. On another note I’d give Jones the armband over gini in a heart beat.

06 Mar 2021 18:58:45
Gini your scapegoat Sailor Jerry?

06 Mar 2021 20:13:08
He’s not my scapegoat at all though I think his inclusion has affected our play.
I am admittedly biased I favour of players with pace, and it was a joy to see a Liverpool team at last with pace in abundance all over the park.
The only slower players were Fabinho and Firmino, who brought other skills that complemented the team.
I’m not sure you can have him and Fabinho in a 3 man midfield otherwise that’s 2 of the 3 lacking pace.
Then we’ve lost the quicker CBS, Jota has been out.
Liverpool went from being the quickest and hardest working team to plain old nothing special at all.
It’s making Thiago look bad I think but we’d be better off with Ox or dare I say it Keita in his place imo.

07 Mar 2021 03:36:34
We had high hopes from him that's the problem. He needs a very specific formation and a capable cdm alongside him to function which he has not had at liverpool . Add to that he has no one in middle to pass and move with nor a target man in middle to ping crosses to.
He would have suited city when silva left and yet pep didn't go for him. Klopp fancied him for that one good season at bayern.
The problem is he isn't a world class player and not the midfield masterclass we were hoping for. The team has to play according to his game to use him best and he was never going to work in the klopp system.
Further aince he.

07 Mar 2021 13:35:40
This is not rocket science. Thiago is a brilliant baller. World class talent, for sure. He is struggling in and injury ravaged team of which he himself, was a victim of injury where we almost lost him for the season. Has not been the same since.

He comes back and is struggling in a team where he is playing every midfield position BUT the one he was signed to play in. IMO, This is nothing but a witch hunt trying to make Thiago the fall guy whereas we all know the root cause of majority of our issues BUT let’s create other narratives explain what we all already know.

07 Mar 2021 13:42:45
I think Gini is getting the brunt because he is obviously leaving at the end of the season so it’s easy to have a go at him. I don’t think he’s doing much different to what he’s always done.
Thiago and Jones are a problem and not because they are not good players but because they can’t play the system. The front 3 press and the midfield need to see the trigger and block the passing options for the player on the ball thus forcing a turnover.
Thiago and Jones don’t do this so the press from the front is pointless as they just get passed around. Thiago compounds it by pressing on his own, normally too late so they just pass it around him and are straight at the back 4.
I’ve always said Hendo’s anticipation is the best in the league. He knows you’re getting the ball before you do so by the time you get the ball he’s on you so you can’t get your head up. It’s awesome to watch. And Gini hasn’t been far behind him for the last 2 seasons.
The midfield at the moment are too far apart and too slow to react to the pressing triggers. Most of the time they don’t react at all.
Pressing is one of the most risky ways to play because you have to commit and if you get it wrong you are out of the game. That’s why Southampton are struggling this season too after their spate of injuries. It’s a really specialist way to play which is unplayable if done correctly but you are vulnerable if your timing is off.
We should probably switch to a 442 until either players are back or the personnel we have can do the job efficiently. It allows us to sit with 2 banks of 4 so closes spaces more so the players don’t have to cover so much ground.