Thiagocompleted 75 passesin 45 minutes–
a PremierLeaguerecord,andmorethanany
Chelseaplayermanagedintheentiregame.
Fromthebaseofmidfieldheprobedusing
a fullrepertoireofone-touchpasses,feints
andno-lookpassesagainsttheBlues’serried
defensiveranks.
“Onhisdebut,youcouldseethequalityhe
brings– hisrangeofpassingwasabsolutely
exceptional,”formerLiverpooldefenderMark
LawrensontellsFFT. “Youcouldarguethat
before,Liverpooldidn’treallyhavea player
withhiscombinationofability,experience
anddynamisminthatposition.
“It’simperativethatwhenyou’vewonthe
league,youdon’tstandstill.Thiagostraight
awayhasthatauraabouthimandputsthe
midfieldonnoticethatcompetitionfortheir
placesis high.If you’rea topplayer,when
youwalkintoa dressingroomthat’sjustwon
thetitle,peoplelookatyouandthink,‘Ishe
heretoreplaceme?’If youstandstillatthis
level,youendupgoingbackwards.”
Constantevolutionandimprovement?It’s
allveryAlexFerguson.
“Kloppis searchingforanotherwaytowin
anda littlemorequalityontheball,”says
Lawrenson.“Sometimes,theonlythingyou
needis somethinga bitdifferent,likeagainst
Atleticoin theChampionsLeague.Asidefrom
maybeAlexOxlade-Chamberlain,Liverpool’s
midfieldersaren’tthatlikelytorunintothe
oppositionboxandlooktoscoreorfindthe
killerpass.That’swhatThiagobrings.”
A changeinformationfromKlopp’sstaple
4-3-3formationmayalsobeintheoffingto
easethetransition.AlthoughThiagoexcelled
againstChelsea,Klopptinkeredwitha new
4-2-3-1inpre-season– thesystemthatthe
SpaniardplayedmostatBayern.Theswitch
mayproveparticularlyusefulagainstdeep
defences,withThiagoeventuallysittingnext
tocaptainJordanHenderson.Fabinhocould
bepushedtocentre-back,tofloodyetmore
bodiesfurtherforward.“I can’t see there being an issue with the
system,” says Lawrenson. “Thiago always
accepts the ball on the half-turn and knows
where his next pass is. Klopp isn’t going to
sign someone like Thiago and try to change
him. We’ll see them playing slightly different,
adapting, when he’s on the pitch.
“Thiago puffs his chest out and he backs
himself. He can handle the football in any
situation and is used to new challenges, all
of which he seems to have overcome.”
So far, the only thing that has proven even
remotely effective at stopping the Spaniard
is COVID-19, for which he tested positive and
self-isolated at the end of September.
Klopp is one of many admirers at Melwood,
as Thiago’s team-mates luxuriate in their
new master craftsman at work – someone
who one Spanish columnist insists “is worth
closer to €70m, because he had only one
year left on his contract – it’s the deal of the
century.” Klopp certainly wouldn’t disagree.
“Some things are natural for him that are
not natural for other players – special things
in world football,” the German has said. “His
visionis exceptional.Pairthatwithpretty
goodtechnicalskillsandnicepassingability,
andyoubecomea veryinterestingpackage.
Ontopofthat,asa guy,hecouldn’tbebetter.
“It’sincredible– whenyougivehima ball,
he’sstilla kid.Whenyoutaketheballaway,
he’sa reallymatureandexperiencedfootball
personwhois interestedina lotofthings:
tacticsandallthesekindofthings.Hewants
tolearn,whichis veryimportant.”
WhatThiagooffersLiverpoolis whatthe
Spanishcallfantasia– somethingoutofthe
ordinary.A videowhichcirculatedonsocial
mediarecently,ofThiagoandManchester
CitymidfielderRodriexchangingvolleyed
passesfromoppositeendsofthetraining
pitchoninternationalduty,is symptomatic
ofsomeoneinlovewithfootball.
“Hebringsjoy,”saysSpanishcommentator
Martinez.“Thoseofuswhoregularlywatch
Spainareawarethatisn’ta one-off.Atthe
conclusionofeverytrainingsession,Thiago
andoneofhisteam-mateswillstayoutfor
15 minutesateitherendofthepitch.They
thenfiretheballtooneanotherwithperfect
technique,onthevolleyandusingdifferent
spinswithsucheaseit’slikeyouorI picking
somethingupwithourhands.
“Heplayswitha ballasif it’sanextension
ofhisbody.He’salwayshadthat.There’s
onewordtouseaboutThiago.He’sspecial.”
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FourFourTwo November 2020 45“GIVE HIM THE BALL AnD HE’S
STILL A KID. TAKE IT AWAY AnD
HE’S A MATURE FOOTBALL GUY”
FANTASY FOOTBALL
Behind the scenes at Anfield, Klopp knew
how to improve a squad which had won the
Premier League by a record 25 points.
Post-lockdown, the German had become
concerned that opposition sides had found
a way to nullify the constant threat posed by
his full-back pairing of Alexander-Arnold and
Robertson, in the way that Diego Simeone’s
Atletico had eliminated the Reds from the
2019-20 Champions League.
“Teams adapt and then try to destroy our
plans,” explained Pepijn Lijnders, Klopp’s
assistant and chief sounding board. “What’s
most important is that we stay unpredictable.
Unpredictability means we can play the last
pass and speed up the game. Thiago does
that for us. He’s a great signing.”
It didn’t matter that Thiago didn’t fit the
profile of the usual Liverpool target – the
only other outfield player Klopp has signed
over the age of 26 was squad-filler Ragnar
Klavan. The Spaniard was seen as someone
with game-changing skill. Someone special.
“Klopp wanted Thiago badly because he
knows this is the guy who can connect the
defensive and offensive parts of his team in
a way his other midfielders can’t,” says Falk.
“He dictates the speed on the pitch. That’s
why he’s so perfect – he’s the missing link
in their spine from Alisson, to Virgil van Dijk
and then Sadio Mané.”
The schemer’s debut at 10-man Chelsea
was a case in point. Brought on at half-time,
Above Klopp basks
in a move well made
after Thiago sends
Chelsea into a spin
Left “I want you to
draw me like one of
your trophy winners”THIAGO
ALCAn TARA