Thiago Alcantara
Jurgen Klopp is “convinced” that Liverpool will soon see the best from “world-class” Thiago Alcantara. The Reds midfielder has struggled to get to grips with life in the Premier League since joining from Bayern Munich in September in a £25million deal. An impressive performance in October’s Merseyside derby was followed by a two-and-a-half-month lay-off with injury and a return that coincided with Liverpool’s slump in form at the start of the calendar year.
Jurgen Klopp said: “Thiago, in a really difficult season, has become a very important player for us. That is the most important thing you can say about him. He started really well, then got a bad injury and an annoying one as well because it took really long [to heal] then he came back into the team that is not really clicking. As a football player, he works a lot and is a good, hard-working guy, but he comes rather from the technical side and was used to different patterns Bayern Munich and all these kinds of things, so it is not just a year where a new signing shines, especially in midfield. For Diogo [Jota] it was a little easier in situations even though he had an injury as well, because he finished chances and was not so much involved in creating. But creating is the moment where a lot of things have to come together and that is why it was difficult for Thiago, but we are completely happy with him. We will see the best of him. I don’t think we saw it already, but that is not a problem. We are 100 per cent convinced we will get the best out of him because he is a world-class player.”
Klopp also rejected criticism over Roberto Firmino’s form and believes Liverpool’s defensive woe is the root cause behind their general malaise as an attacking force. The Reds missed a glut of chances in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle a fortnight ago and Firmino has scored just six times in 43 appearances this term.
Jurgen Klopp added: “[His form] is a mixture of the season, 100 per cent, but as well, when the boys up front don’t score as often as we’re used to then that doesn’t help. But anyway, it is not dreamland so you go through these periods, but of course it is temporary and not forever. There is no doubt about that. Bobby is not old or tired or lost everything, not at all. We see everything in training, but we need to make sure we bring that more often on the pitch. That is not only for Bobby but you asked about him, that is a general thing for us, that is it. The season is not one where we got into a proper flow and things were clicking game after game. We had to work incredibly hard and when you have to work incredibly hard you think about different things. So let me say it like this, when we lost our defence and stability a bit because of injuries, everybody had to play differently to protect the defence. That means you play a yard further back or two or five or 10. That keeps your focus away from an offensive situation because you would think already that when you lose the ball you have to get it back. So there are a lot of complex things that have happened this year and so far it was why this is the season we saw. There are absolutely no excuses and I hope that is clear, but it is a description. Bobby is a good example of that but he is in a good moment, he trains really well and that is good.”
