Thiago changed the game for me today, he’s world class. We’ve just got to keep him fit.
All them disagreements I had with a few posters in his 1st year with us.
Seems my view of him has always been right
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When Alonso left I thought that’s the last time we would see someone so technically gifted playing in our midfield. His passing and vision was completely on a different level. Cannot remember the game but once he played a long ball that everyone thought was going for an opposition goal kick. But being Alonso he had sufficient back spin in the pass, that the ball almost fell dead before spinning back to our attacking player. That was the moment, although I am embarrassed that I cannot recollect, made me believe Xabi is the best we would ever have.
And now suddenly comes this fellow. Thiago Alcantara. We knew what he could do. But given his age, injuries and adjustment to the PL, I thought he would be just another cog in the wheel. How wrong I was. Some of his passing makes me wish we signed him a couple of years ago. Sheer joy to watch.
Hoping that he is mentoring someone from our academy until he leaves. You can have all the talent in the world but having the likes of Thiago and Milner teaching you in daily training is priceless.
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That’s what’s called proper footballing quality.
Players like that often don’t need 1 game to reach a high level, let alone a few games in a row, like a lot of players do.
When you look at him in the last game or two, you’d think it’s rhythm from weeks and months in a row, properly managed.
He was never brought in to play 50+ games a season, but if he can play his usual 35-40 (a bit more than in Germany due to more domestic games), I’m happy with that.
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Almost certainly it was the Norwich game at home fairly in the season. It was an absolute passing masterclass that included some that defied belief. He was only on the pitch for about an hour but there was still a 5 minute youtube devoted to solely his passing in that game. From what I remember about it, it was the game that first started the questions being asked about Stevie’s role in the side because he was absent and the partnership between Alonso and Didi seemed absolutely perfect.
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Christopher Columbus over here.
It’s mad anyone doubted him, really. I don’t wanna come across one of those I-watch-more-football-than-you people (especially these days, as I only really watch the PL, to the disgust of my know-it-all, football-hipster asshole 16 year old self), but it’s not like his ability was kept under wraps.
Sad to say, but if we paid a substantial fee for him, you get the feeling there would have been far fewer doubters.
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I had regular conversations and disagreements over Thiago with a lot of posters just listening to and getting brainwashed by the opinions of ‘pundits’ saying that he slowed us down, couldn’t tackle blah blah. When the stats and figures showed the opposite, I even watched one game to see how many times he passed the ball using one or 2 touches and it it far outweighed him supposedly slowing us down.
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The ball goes quicker than the player. 
The better you position yourself on the pitch to receive the ball the best possible with your technique, having the vision to see a line-cutting pass and being able to execute it accurately (then comes speed)…
… that actually quickens our play more than anything. Having a player like him can speed up or slow down our game, which is also needed.
I was surprised with a few of our legends saying that at the time. Thiago actually surprised me (and still does, from duel to duel) being a bit over-aggressive and perhaps looking too often for the more difficult pass. He had to learn playing with a new style, we also had to learn how to use a player like him, which we didn’t really have (and not only this side, but going back even more in the past).
Now it’s more balanced, he’s playing in the zone he was always the best version of himself and now it’s more about staying fit for longer periods.
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He is one of the best players in the league. We are lucky to have him.
The nonsense surrounding him slowing us down or not fitting in is just ridiculous.
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With Thiago I don’t think since he cut out the silly fouls I’ve had an issue the only issue is down to his availability he does seem to hit the ground running when he plays and Klopp is managing him well.
To me he should start the final.
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Just imagine…Utd could have bought him the year Fergie retired and they baulked and bought Felliani instead
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Thiago in tears on bench.
Anyone have news on what actually happened?
He looked ok when walking up the stairs
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Hope he’s ok. We missed him tonight.
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Seems to be in all the photos, I wonder if the club just felt they couldn’t risk him. I noticed he had a bottle behind his head in his coat at one point. Was wondering if it was his back or neck.
He looked gutted which as sad as it was it was good to see from a professional point of view.
He is also dancing and crouching in other shots so what it is it can’t be massively bad.
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So there is no news on the injury suffered by Thiago?
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Guess we will get our news when Klopp does his PC tomorrow unless Pep does it, doesn’t usually do the FA Cup mind.