Liverpool are more vulnerable with midfield maestro Thiago Alcantara in the side, according to club icon John Barnes.
His comments came in response to the claim made by Jurgen Klopp’s assistant Pep Ljinders who has previously stated that "when Thiago plays, we play". The Spain international has struggled for game time this season and has not featured in the Premier League for Liverpool since the opening day draw at Fulham.
He did return for the Reds’ Champions League clashes against Napoli and Ajax though, playing a full 90 minutes in the latter. It proved to be an imposing display from the midfielder against the Dutch champions. His passing was crisp, incisive and he finished the night with an 89 per cent pass completion rate and having won seven duels.
Yet Barnes feels Liverpool are easier to “get at” with Thiago in the side. He told BonusCodeBets: “'When Thiago plays we play', I think that means in terms of our creativity and our dominating the ball and play in tight areas.
"But of course on the converse of that when we lose the ball there are times where teams are getting at us because we haven’t got those three hard-working midfield players. So we’re tinkering with getting the balance right."
He continued by stating: "In possession, I think we’re equally as good or creative with Thiago. But out of possession, you can see we’re giving the opposition some chances because of the nature of the midfield that we actually have." Barnes added that having the likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho in Liverpool's midfield helps to provide a more solid base.
On the surface, Barnes’ comments might look to make some sense given that Henderson, Milner and Fabinho are all more robust profiles than Thiago and more representative of what Liverpool’s midfield once was under Klopp. It was the hard-working engine room that gave the platform for Liverpool’s most dangerous players to flourish.
However, in recent years that midfield dynamic has needed to evolve, with Liverpool’s opponents more often happy to sit in deep compact blocks and restrict space inside their own half. As a result, Klopp recognised more penetration from the middle was essential, and that is why Thiago was brought in during the summer of 2020.
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The midfielder’s ability on the ball is almost unrivalled across Europe. His decision-making is impeccable, his technique is exquisite and he rarely looks flustered, somehow managing to find time and space in what is often the most congested areas of the pitch.
He can speed a game up, slow it down and find teammates in the final third with pinpoint passes that other players wouldn’t even attempt. With him in the side, Liverpool enjoy greater control in their matches, and this allows the team to build more coherently through the lines and maintain a better overall shape.
There’s currently no other profile similar within the Liverpool side, meaning without him, the Reds struggle to exhibit that same control. They can’t progress up the pitch as competently and will turn the ball over more regularly, something that leads to more transition phases and counter-attacks with players often caught out of position.
Thiago’s influence is captured most by the fact that Liverpool have not lost a game in which he has played since going down 3-2 to West Ham in July 2021. That’s an unbeaten run of 22 straight matches.
While Thiago might not have the same defensive capabilities as those players named by Barnes, the above captures how valuable he is to this Liverpool side.
