Liverpool’s Thiago conundrum - the good and the bad

His quality has never been in question, but having sustained another injury in Liverpool’s first league game of 2022/23.

09/08/2022, 05:10 PM +00:00

One of the most graceful footballers to wear the red shirt in recent years, without any shadow of a doubt. His arrival from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020 perhaps generated more excitement among fans than any other signing in the Jurgen Klopp era, and understandably so.

Liverpool’s decision to swoop for a player of Thiago‘s ilk was a step away from the type of signing we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Michael Edwards and the rest of the transfer committee.

This wasn’t a young player with bags of unfulfilled potential and plenty to prove, but it was a truly world-class operator at the peak of his powers who, at the time, was being spoken about as the best midfield player on the planet.

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Klopp's favourite

When fit, Thiago is one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheet. He offers a completely different dimension to the midfield than any of the other options in his position. Incisive passes, a remarkable passing range, and pretty much everything else you’d want from a modern day midfielder.

After a first season disrupted by Covid complications and a frankly unbelievable turn of events that left the team without any centre-backs for the much of the season, the following campaign was much more fruitful for the midfielder.

Despite several injury setbacks, he made 39 appearances in all competitions in 2021/22, with the Reds winning 22 of the 27 matches he started. There were standout performances against the likes of Southampton in the league and Man City in the FA Cup semi-finals. And that Porto strike really did encapsulate everything he is about. Pure class.

Having almost missed the Champions League final with a muscular injury that would keep him out of international duty at the end of the season, the sight of Thiago limping off with another problem against Fulham was certainly an unwelcome one.

The Spaniard missed 14 Premier League matches in his first season and just one less in 2021/22. He was in tears after picking up an injury in the warmup ahead of last season’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, and it was nearly the same story in Paris at the end of the season.