Danny Murphy has highlighted Thiago's failure to track runners as a 'bit of a concern' after the Liverpool midfielder was spotted lagging behind Martin Odegaard for Arsenal's second goal in their 3-2 win in Sunday's big Premier League match at the Emirates.
Jurgen Klopp's side twice fought back from a goal down, with Darwin Nunez cancelling out Gabriel Martinelli's early opener before Bukayo Saka slotted home in first-half injury-time to take the Gunners into the break 2-1 up. Substitute Roberto Firmino levelled the scoreline once again for the Reds on 53 minutes, but a controversial penalty - awarded for the most minimal contact on Gabriel Jesus from Thiago - allowed Saka to restore Arsenal's lead and eventually seal victory for the home side.
Saka's first goal - Arsenal's second - brought with it the most scrutiny, as an overzealous Trent Alexander-Arnold came across to assist Jordan Henderson with Martinelli, only for the Brazilian to leave both for dead and feed Saka for the easiest of finishes. And while Dion Dublin highlighted the right-back's defensive error, Murphy was keen to point out Thiago's lack of urgency in tracking Odegaard's run.
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“For the [Saka] goal, it’s a three-on-three and I’m thinking, ‘this shouldn’t be a problem’, because you can see that there’s a three on three,” Dublin told Match of the Day 2 . “You've got a man each, do what you have to do. I know what Trent Alexander-Arnold is trying to do, he’s trying to help his skipper out because Martinelli’s quicker so he’s gone out of this space.
“You’ve got to trust your skipper. Stay in the middle, get Tsimikas to stay on the left, and if they stay in those positions in the three, this goal will not happen.”
Looking back at Arsenal’s second goal, Murphy added: “If you watch Odegaard sprint forward, Thiago sees him - this is your central midfielder, you’re only playing with two - his reaction to try and get back in is a little bit worrying for me.
“We know he's a wonderful technician, but really he should be busting a hut to try and get back in and you shouldn’t have your striker, Nunez, overtaking you to try and get in the box to clear the cross. That’s a little bit of a concern, especially when you play two in the middle.”
A number of different factors have contributed to what is now Liverpool's worst start to a league season in 10 years. The Reds kicked off the campaign already undergoing an injury crisis that has never fully recovered, while failure to reinvest in an ageing squad has seemingly resulted in stagnation.
But Murphy believes there has been a pivotal shift in mentality at the club, and the former Liverpool midfielder has reiterated accusations that some within the squad have become complacent.
"A few months ago Liverpool were in every competition, looking at making history and winning four competitions," Murphy added. "The squad has not got worse in terms of players, but the mentality’s changes a little bit. I said before that the complacency has set in a little bit, I think for certain members of the team, and I think to then try and flick the switch and get it back on is one of the hardest things in football."
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