Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool
[A thread]

With it looking likely that Thiago is going to move to Liverpool either now or when his contract expires, I’ve done a quick thread on his strengths and how he would fit in at #LFC.
Likes and RT’s Appreciated

Firstly, as a player he came through La Masia, breaking into the Barcelona first team at 19, before moving to Bayern in 2013.

Capable of both playing in a deeper role or as an 8, Thiago is a complete midfielder. Available for just £30m he’s a bargain for his quality of player

Composed on the ball and with superb vision, he frequently drops deep to take the ball forwards, with either a dribble or a progressive pass.

This season he has attempted 70 dribbles, with a success rate of 85% and has been topping the majority of stats for a deeper playmaker

Klopp likes his side to quickly transition from defence to attack, and the most effective way of doing this is with line breaking passes.

Per 90 Thiago progressively passes a total of 632M, comparatively Liverpool’s midfield score:

Keita: 477m
Henderson: 426m
Wijnaldum: 291m

Below is Thiago’s passing map from the game against Barcelona, and for contrast there are Henderson’s and Wijnaldum’s pass maps from the 4-0 win over Palace.

The difference in creativity and vision is clear to see.

Another key aspect from Klopp’s tactics is the movement in behind from Mané and Salah.

Both players will frequently look to run onto balls over the top, and with the addition of Thiago it adds another player capable of playing these passes, as shown below.

Despite this, arguably the most important factor that Thiago would need to succeed at Liverpool is his work rate.

Klopps side have dominated in England and Europe through his high intensity counter-pressing and regardless of Thiago’s skill he would need to work hard.

However, having played in Flick’s high pressing side he is more than ready to press as hard as Klopp wants.

For his goal against Schalke, his desire to win the ball back is shown and he continues his run for a tap-in finish. This tenacity and running is exactly what Klopp wants.

After seeing how he’d fit in at Liverpool, we can also look as to how he would improve Liverpool.

Liverpool have had a phenomenal season, however three losses standout. Watford, Man City and the second leg against Atheltico.

In these losses Liverpool were caught out for having an over reliance on crosses, attempting 109 yet only score 2 goals over the three games.

Having such a linear approach will lead to sides figuring out Liverpool, and to prevent this they need different ways of scoring goals.

Adding Thiago to the squad can bring lots of variety to Liverpool’s attack.

Firstly, Thiago is unafraid to run at players and create a chance from nothing. Something we see the current Liverpool midfielders hesitant to do. His goal below against Mainz highlights this.

As we’ve discussed before his vision is second to none, and when breaking down low block sides he could make the difference.

In a game where Bayern where struggling with Mönchengladbach’s low block Thiago was the difference maker.

Overall, Thiago not only fits into Klopp’s system but he can also improve it. When they’ve been weak against low block sides his creativity can and will give them the extra edge in the coming season.

At £30m Liverpool will not find a better player and should definitely sign him.

Likes and RT’s appreciated #LFC