Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Liverpool star now key as Reds master ‘two ways of playing,’ says Tim Sherwood

Thiago Alcantara Liverpool Leeds Klopp February 2022

Liverpool now have two ways of playing with one player key in that, according to former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood.

Jurgen Klopp’s men hammered Leeds 6-0 at Anfield on Wednesday to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to just three points. A double each from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and a goal apiece for Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk secured an easy victory.

But it was Thiago, who particularly impressed Sherwood for his control of the game.

The Reds dominated possession with 64% and made more than 300 more passes than their Yorkshire rivals. And Thiago was at the hub for the hosts before being replaced on 68 minutes by Jordan Henderson.

Sherwood believes Thiago’s influence means Klopp’s men can now play a possession game and can rival Man City with two ways to play.

“I think they’ve got two ways of playing now,” Sherwood told Premier League Productions, via the Daily Express.

“I think Man City always had the edge where they could counter attack at 100 miles per hour with the best of them, but they could also keep the ball, rest on the football.

“Liverpool do that now, certainly with Thiago when he’s back in that midfield.

“Tonight it wasn’t about turning it into a basketball match like we saw at the weekend with Man United.

“They want it to be a chaos game, Leeds United and [Marcelo] Bielsa, but [Liverpool] didn’t allow it.

“What was it? 65 per cent possession tonight, keep the ball off them.

“They were never in the football match and Thiago controlled the tempo.”

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Liverpool signed Thiago from Bayern Munich in September 2020 in a deal that could rise to £25m.

The Spain international came under fire last season with suggestions that he slowed down Liverpool’s game.


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Klopp’s patience paid off with Thiago

He was also labelled as a “defensive liability” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

Klopp though defended his man at the time and now he is seeing the best from the 30-year-old.

Speaking to Sky Sports in February 2021, the German manager said: “He came in late, which is just the nature of some transfers. Then he got Covid, got injured, and still had to adapt to a new team – and a team which was not exactly flying with no problems at all.

“We’ve had to rebuild the team pretty much every three days because of changing the last line and changing a lot of things. So that’s just really unlucky for Thiago.

“But he has played some exceptional games and had some exceptional moments on the pitch. And he is so respected in the squad.

“It’s just a public perception. ‘Oh, Thiago is in and we don’t perform well anymore.’ These kind of things are just b*******, let me say it like that. They are just not right.

“Everybody needs time to adapt.”

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