Liverpool take on Leicester City in the Premier League this Saturday and in the buildup to this match, many pundits have been urging Jurgen Klopp to drop Thiago Alcantara to the bench.
Thiago was supposed to be the next big thing in the Premier League but so far, he’s failed to make an impact for the Anfield outfit and with him in defensive midfield, Liverpool look sluggish and sometimes boring while going forward.
And speaking about the Spaniard’s influence in the English top-division, former Premier League winner Robert Huth has claimed that Thiago just does not fit the style of football that Jurgen Klopp’s side have been playing for the past two seasons.
“They are such an amazing machine Liverpool, when they have all the players available they’re literally 11 machines on a pitch,” Huth said Compare Bet.
“When you take a few out, you lose that sort of momentum, like Henderson playing at centre-back – people not playing in their positions. While it might be doable for the short–term, ultimately you want all your best players playing in their best positions and that hasn’t come.
“Where Liverpool used to be really threatening on the counter, winning the ball high up, having Thiago in there now, as great a player as he is, he just doesn’t have the energy,
“I mean [he’s had an] amazing career for sure, but he’s not going to be flying around like Henderson does, like Wijnaldum does, like all the other players.
“They need a real high energy player to break the lines when they win the ball. All that sort of thing is missing.
“Like Klopp used to say, it’s heavy metal football and they’d just blow teams away, but that sort of energy is missing at the moment.”
Will Thiago move to the bench on Saturday?
Thiago has missed a few matches this season due to an injury but even in the games he’s played, the midfielder has looked almost useless.
He was virtually non-existent on the pitch against Manchester City last weekend as he managed to string together only 57 passes and there’s a big chance that Klopp moves him to the bench when Liverpool face Leicester City.
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January signing Ozan Kabak could start in central defence alongside Fabinho meaning Jordan Henderson will be free and could be used in midfield.
It’s still unclear what Jurgen Klopp will do with his team selection but if the manager does drop Thiago to the bench then it will be a clear indication that even the Liverpool boss has his doubts about the former Bayern man’s role in the side.
