Thiago Alcantara brings joy to Liverpool fans and Jurgen Klopp in an otherwise dreadful borefest of a match against Newcastle United

Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcantara finally returned to the pitch for Liverpool right at the end of 2020. He was injured in a freak tackle in the Merseyside derby against Everton. Liverpool took their time with him and he recovered step by step and finally was named in the bench against Newcastle United. In what was quite literally the curtain fall of Premier League football in 2020, Thiago proved why he is regarded to be one of the best midfielders in the world.

The curtain falls but there is still hope for Liverpool

Liverpool seem to have finally suffered the burnout which most people predicted around October. The players kept chugging and chugging and almost always found themselves past the finish line. Moments of individual brilliance and some intelligent group play meant that despite the injury crisis at Liverpool, it never seemed like Liverpool was in danger of falling off.

For starters, when Virgil van Dijk was injured and ruled out for the season, Liverpool went from having a high line and dropped to a low line. This meant that the slower defenders in Liverpool weren’t caught out much. The goals also were conceded lesser than before and that meant that the burden on the forwards were lessened.

FS Video

Thiago Alcantara

17 minutes played
91% pass accuracy
6/6 long balls
1/1 ground duels
5/5 aerial duels

There aren't a lot of positives from tonight's game. But this man is one. HAS to start the next game. pic.twitter.com/GyghqWy8sC
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) December 30, 2020

However this is where Liverpool actually stepped up as the addition of Diogo Jota transformed Liverpool’s dynamic. The Portuguese forced Jurgen Klopp to change his preferred formation of 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 in order to accommodate him. Liverpool played with four attackers and had Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum as holding midfielders. Liverpool were far superior in attack whenever Diogo Jota was in the attack and an injury to him in November meant that he won’t return until January.

However the return of Thiago Alcantara will definitely rejuvenate Liverpool as evidenced by the last 17 minutes of the match against Newcastle United. In that 17 minutes Liverpool was transformed and looked more threatening but it came far too late. Liverpool’s midfield was a terrible choice against a low block team like Newcastle United. Granted they didn’t have 11 players in the penalty box like West Bromwich Albion had, it was still a midfield that lacked creativity.

Jurgen Klopp’s tactics should adapt to the situation for the benefit of the team

Jurgen Klopp bases his midfield to stand back and cover the centre-backs when the full backs bomb forward to assist the attack. While this is a good tactic, when the full backs are blocked, the forwards will have to carry the full burden of creating chances and putting it in the net all by themselves. This leads to them tiring and losing effect and so there is a requirement of creative midfielders here. Liverpool had been lacking this for a long, long time and finally solved that piece of the puzzle by signing Thiago Alcantara.

Players like Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones are creative and can play as creative midfielders, but under Jurgen Klopp they sacrifice that to defend. With Thiago being included in the squad now, the attacking three can be helped now when the full-backs are blocked. Against low block teams like West Bromwich Albion, a creative midfielder is the difference as he can pick the slightest of spaces and get an assist from that.

We’ve only been treated to snippets of play so far but I genuinely get excited when @Thiago6 steps onto the pitch. He’s so different to anything in the @premierleague. A proper baller.
— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) December 30, 2020

Liverpool’s midfield of James Milner, Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson were lacking in creativity and it meant that the front three had to do everything themselves. When Thiago was brought on in the 73^rd minute, things changed dramatically and Liverpool were far better than before. The passing was better and the forwards got more chances and the full-backs were more in the game after the Spanish midfielder came in. It was an off-day for the Liverpool front three as they missed some glorious chances which usually would’ve ended in the net.

Liverpool should’ve comfortably won the game with more than 4 goals but it was an off-day for them. Nevertheless Jurgen Klopp will now know that he has to adapt according to teams and will also be enthusiastic about the effect Thiago has on the game. In 2021, let’s see what he can do and how he’ll set up Liverpool. They play two important games against Southampton and Manchester United with the latter match being a potential title decider.

Also read: Ranking the 5 best matches played in the Premier League in 2020