Thiago pulled the strings in midfield against Manchester United, and after a challenging first season in England he is proving his importance to a dominant Liverpool side.
As Liverpool thumped arch rivals Man United 4-0 at Anfield, midfield maestro Thiago boasted a 96% passing accuracy including 6/6 long balls and he also completed four ball recoveries and created three chances. Thiago was subbed with ten minutes remaining and the Spanish midfielder left the field of play to a deserved standing ovation by the Anfield crowd and he was warmly embraced by his manager Jürgen Klopp.
Another midfield masterclass from @Thiago6 🪄
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 19, 2022
He’s your @Carlsberg Player of the Match 👏 pic.twitter.com/gELBGlqOPm
With Liverpool in the midst of a gruelling late season run-in, Thiago has started in six of the Reds’ last eight games across three competitions. Liverpool still have up to ten games remaining and the 31-year-old has already amassed 30 club appearances this term, the same amount of games he featured in during an injury-plagued debut season on Merseyside.
After completing a £27m switch from Bayern Munich in the summer 2020, Thiago struggled in finding his feet and adapting to the English top-flight. He was ruled out for two months with a knee injury, missing a total 18 matches for his new club and an additional three for the Spain national team. Thiago was also absent from seven games with coronavirus.
He started 20 Premier League games for Liverpool last season including all of their final seven league outings of which he played the full 90 minutes in all but one. Thiago’s injury struggles carried over into the current campaign, and he has missed 15 games with separate calf and hip injuries. Liverpool have not lost any of the 14 league games Thiago has started this term.
Liverpool haven’t lost a single league game that Thiago Alcantara has started this season 👌 pic.twitter.com/m7AMwyA7WK
— GOAL (@goal) April 20, 2022
When available, Thiago is proven to be one of Liverpool’s most pivotal components and maintaining fitness will be crucial as Liverpool look to capture an unprecedented quadruple trophy haul. The Reds have already bagged the EFL Cup, are in the UEFA Champions League semifinals and the FA Cup Final. They are also currently top of the Premier League, engrossed in a tense battle with fellow title contenders Manchester City.
