IT didn’t feel fair. Having steamrolled their way to their first Premier League title in 30 years as by far and away the best team in the country, Liverpool added one of the finest midfielders of this generation to their ranks over the summer by snatching Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich. It was a show of strength the kind of which hadn’t been seen since Manchester United signed Dimitar Berbatov fresh from winning the Champions League in 2008.
Over the course of his first six months on Merseyside, though, Thiago has started to resemble another Man Utd signing of yesteryear – Juan Sebastian Veron. Just like Thiago, the Argentine arrived in England as one of the best midfielders in Europe. And just like Thiago, he struggled to adapt to a team that hadn’t been built around him.
Indeed, Veron pitched up at Old Trafford just weeks after United had secured a third successive Premier League title. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were English football’s dominant force and they boasted a midfield unit that was the stuff of legend – David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.
And yet Veron was signed for a record breaking transfer fee to give Manchester United another way to play. He was more considered, more continental than both Keane and Scholes were at that time. It was only on the continent, however, that Veron was able to play his own game. In the Premier League, the Argentine was something of a misfit.
The parallels to the situation Thiago currently finds himself in at Liverpool are stark. While the 28-year-old’s capacity on the ball cannot be denied, he frequently slows down the possession play of a team previously renowned for their fast and furious, heavy metal approach. The Spaniard might lack the athleticism to play as a true Jurgen Klopp midfielder. The risk has gone from Liverpool’s midfield play with Thiago involved.
Either Thiago will have to adapt his natural game to suit that of his new team, or his new team will be required to tailor their game to that of their new midfield pace-setter. Otherwise their ideological standoff will continue. Klopp must consider not just how to fit Thiago into his team, but what his integration means for Liverpool in a greater sense.
At Bayern Munich, Thiago was primarily deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. Liverpool haven’t had a midfielder operator like him since Xabi Alonso and there was no obvious place for a midfielder of this type in Klopp’s team. As a number six, Thiago doesn’t offer Liverpool’s back four enough protection. His high press isn’t high enough.
It might prove to be the case that Thiago has to move further up the field to thrive in a Liverpool shirt. The Spaniard operated as more of an attacking midfielder earlier in his career and it’s in this position where his quick feet and short, sharp passing could aid the Reds break down low defensive blocks. This, however, has the potential to disrupt the relationship between Liverpool’s front three.
Of course, it won’t be until Thiago has Fabinho and Jordan Henderson alongside him in Liverpool’s midfield that we can truly judge what the Spaniard offers his new team. Only then will it become clear what Klopp intended for Thiago and how he planned on using the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich man to broaden Liverpool’s tactical and ideological options.
Thiago is far from Liverpool’s biggest problem in a season which has seen the defending Premier League champions lose almost every defender in their squad to injury at one point or another, but the Spaniard has nonetheless disturbed the delicate ecosystem at Anfield just as Veron did at Old Trafford two decades ago.
