Thiago Alcantara

[Crazy Dave]

Thought he was really poor last night. His touch was abysmal and obviously his tackling was the shits. 
 

I’m between getting frustrated with this lad and feeling sorry for him. He just doesn’t look suited to our system. We need a more mobile player like a Henderson or Gini-type either side of Fabinho to make it work and It just looks like he’s being asked to do a job that he’s not well suited for. 
 

All that being said we’re allowed to expect a bit more from him. He’s up there with Virgil and Mo in terms of wages after all. He can’t be a passenger forever. 

[Colonel Bumcunt]

Fabinho was great, right in the centre doing his thing, but either side of him the two lads struggled to be as effective as him.  I think two reasons, the first being that the full-backs were more attacking than recently, so the two midfielders were dropping and covering a fair bit.  It's certainly not Thiago's game to do that, and I wonder what Klopp's plan is for the long-term for this because I don't see how it will ever be anything different while we play a 4-3-3. 

 

Perhaps there will be less asked of the midfield when we have two confident CB's with recovery pace, it might just be a phase while Kabak and Phillips get bedded-in. 

 

Yeah, was a shitty scrappy game last night, and the likes of Neves, Moutinho, Thiago are all capable of beautiful things but the game wasn't letting that happen.

 

 

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, Moo said:

Yes I did think.  Won't argue that he gave the ball away too much, a couple of very poor passes in particular stood out.  And the less said about his tackling the better.

But last night I thought he was more forward thinking and a bit more in tune to how we want to play.  That could also be to do with better movement ahead of him, and Fabinho behind - but whatever the reason there was less going backwards from him.  That is my biggest bugbear with Thiago, slowing our attacking momentum down, playing a backward pass then pointing to where the receiver should play it next.  He did less of that which pleased me, but he still wouldn't be my first choice if we had all options, nowhere near.

i reckon you just missed it! he must have played about a dozen of those passes last night! i was screaming at the screen about it at one point. 

[Charles Penrose]

He’s been a disappointment so far. He’s basically been exactly what some people feared he might be. Even though you could find reasons to be excited about the signing, there were also nagging doubts about coming to a better, more physical league in his late twenties.

 

 

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, Colonel Bumcunt said:

Fabinho was great, right in the centre doing his thing, but either side of him the two lads struggled to be as effective as him.  I think two reasons, the first being that the full-backs were more attacking than recently, so the two midfielders were dropping and covering a fair bit.  It's certainly not Thiago's game to do that, and I wonder what Klopp's plan is for the long-term for this because I don't see how it will ever be anything different while we play a 4-3-3. 

 

Perhaps there will be less asked of the midfield when we have two confident CB's with recovery pace, it might just be a phase while Kabak and Phillips get bedded-in. 

 

Yeah, was a shitty scrappy game last night, and the likes of Neves, Moutinho, Thiago are all capable of beautiful things but the game wasn't letting that happen.

 

 

Fabinho had 67% pass completion from the #6 position, where most of the time he's playing it simple. That is horrible. But he was very active in defending, as he usually is. Still, I thought all 3 midfielders were crap. 

 

I can defend most of Thiago's performances because they are very defensible. That one, was not defensible. You can't legislate for a guy of his ability to have such a poor game technically. That made no sense, especially coming off his great game midweek against a superior opponent. 

[LFC 6 Times]

Was shocked how poor he was in possession last night, he lost it numerous times and his touch was extremely loose. I’d move him across to the left of the 3, he’d be more familiar with that section of the field.

[Barrington Womble]

1 minute ago, LFC 6 Times said:

Was shocked how poor he was in possession last night, he lost it numerous times and his touch was extremely loose. I’d move him across to the left of the 3, he’d be more familiar with that section of the field.

is he really that fragile a player? so he's no good in the 6, he's no good if he doesn't have a proper 6 behind him when he plays 8 and now he can't play the right 8 only the left? next we'll be getting told we've got to completely change our formation because his superior footballing talent can't flourish in such a basic formation.

 

we've been a team for years under klopp where we have to get on with the idea of any 3 from about 7 or 8 midfielders. i realise in the big games we would have our best players, that makes perfect sense, but they've all got on with it playing in other positions. Gini and Henderson have often played 6 & 8. Milner the same and fullback. Chamberlain 8 and a forward slot. Lallana, mostly 8 but either of them. keita either 8 from the treatment room. i just can't accept we would buy a player so fragile in temperament that he can only operate in one specific space on the park with all the right players around him. if he's really that fragile we should be shipping him out in the summer. 

[TheHowieLama]

Yeah, the guy who has won more than anyone in the side is fragile.

 

I can guarantee if Thiago knew he was going to be playing in a side with Nat Phillips and Kabak he would have swerved us for any of the other top teams who would have gladly had him.

[SasaS]

7 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Yeah, the guy who has won more than anyone in the side is fragile.

 

I can guarantee if Thiago knew he was going to be playing in a side with Nat Phillips and Kabak he would have swerved us for any of the other top teams who would have gladly had him.

So he is both fragile and a snob?

[TheHowieLama]

2 minutes ago, SasaS said:

So he is both fragile and a snob?

Yes. In addition to being a ten time league winner and in every team of the season last year he is fragile and a snob.

[Barrington Womble]

19 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Yeah, the guy who has won more than anyone in the side is fragile.

 

I can guarantee if Thiago knew he was going to be playing in a side with Nat Phillips and Kabak he would have swerved us for any of the other top teams who would have gladly had him.

it seems to be the excuse everyone is making for him. life isn't perfect, so he's been shit. but life is never perfect. if he doesn't like it here, he can fuck off. i am not arsed about what he has won before, just what he's done for us - which up to now has been the square root of fuck all. 

[TheHowieLama]

2 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

it seems to be the excuse everyone is making for him. life isn't perfect, so he's been shit. but life is never perfect. if he doesn't like it here, he can fuck off. i am not arsed about what he has won before, just what he's done for us - which up to now has been the square root of fuck all. 

I am gonna go out on a limb here and suggest he may not be the problem. But we know how you like to dig in on certain things and after about 1000 minutes of football it seems realistic to suggest he is shit. Regardless of his past, cuz form/class, eh whatever.

My guess is there is a good chance about 9 months from now you will be backing down on this.

[Barrington Womble]

1 minute ago, TheHowieLama said:

I am gonna go out on a limb here and suggest he may not be the problem. But we know how you like to dig in on certain things and after about 1000 minutes of football it seems realistic to suggest he is shit. Regardless of his past, cuz form/class, eh whatever.

My guess is there is a good chance about 9 months from now you will be backing down on this.

i hope i am backing down on it, because it means he might still be good rather than was good. but this is a forum where we come to discuss football. he is supposed to be a world class talent and up to now has looked like the spanish danny murphy. 

[VladimirIlyich]

8 hours ago, Trumo said:

 

Not quite. The '5 yellows = 1 match ban' is only up if a player picks up 5 yellow cards in his team's first 19 matches. If he picks up 10 yellows by their 32nd match, it's a 2-match ban.

Fuckin hell! Cant these clowns have any consistency with their rules. I'm glad it isnt the case but just make things simple for a change.

[Bjornebye]

1 hour ago, TheHowieLama said:

Yeah, the guy who has won more than anyone in the side is fragile.

 

I can guarantee if Thiago knew he was going to be playing in a side with Nat Phillips and Kabak he would have swerved us for any of the other top teams who would have gladly had him.

Nat Phillips is a fucking beast lad 

[TheHowieLama]

2 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Nat Phillips is a fucking beast lad 

You should get his replica jersey next season. Who do you think he will be playing for?

[Bjornebye]

39 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

You should get his replica jersey next season. Who do you think he will be playing for?

Celtic 

[TheHowieLama]

24 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Celtic 

Does Phillips improve Celtics first 11?

[VladimirIlyich]

35 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Does Phillips improve Celtics first 11?

I'd improve Celtic's first eleven!

[Mook]

3 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

i hope i am backing down on it, because it means he might still be good rather than was good. but this is a forum where we come to discuss football. he is supposed to be a world class talent and up to now has looked like the spanish danny murphy. 

Harsh on Danny Murphy.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

2 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

You should get his replica jersey next season. Who do you think he will be playing for?

If we let Phillips go he’ll end up at a championship level club. He’s like Flanagan, honest pro, playing his heart out, above his level. I love it, and he’s very valuable in out current situation, but that’s his true level.

 

If we let Thiago go he’ll end up at a top 10 club in Europe. Fortunately we wont let him go, and he’ll be a key player for us.

 

He’s done fine so far, most of the criticism against him is well off the mark imo. He was quite poor last night, sloppy on the ball and a few mistimed tackles. Overall he’s been fine.

 

But when you have people saying the City loss was all on him, after he went off at 1-1, I guess there are some people he’ll never win over no matter the performances.

[The Guest]

I honestly wonder what game people watch sometimes.  It was easily Thiago’s worst performance.  I don’t mind him fouling people and being aggressive.  I’d much prefer that than the opposite.  He definitely did too many last night though and he was all over the place with his passing execution and decision making.  It was the complete polar opposite to most of the games he’s played for us.  Fabinho was worse than him though whereas Gini was non existent.  They dominated the ball for large periods in the first half and we couldn’t keep it.  It got even worse after Thiago went off.

 

It’s like people write the script in their head and then just regurgitate it after the game regardless of what went on.  Fabinho was fantastic in the week and it’s to be expected that he might not be perfect every game because it’s so long since he’s put a run of games together in midfield.  You can’t just ignore how many soft passes he gave away in dangerous areas.  He wasn’t his relaxed self and a lot of his headers and interceptions just went straight back to Wolves.

[El Rojo]

4 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

Yeah, the guy who has won more than anyone in the side is fragile.

 

I can guarantee if Thiago knew he was going to be playing in a side with Nat Phillips and Kabak he would have swerved us for any of the other top teams who would have gladly had him.

Not sure how relevant his medal haul is really. Darren Fletcher, Nicky Butt and John O’ Shea have multiple titles between them while Steven Gerrard has none. Meanwhile, Fernando Morientes had a pocket full of silver before joining us. 

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

2 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

Not sure how relevant his medal haul is really. Darren Fletcher, Nicky Butt and John O’ Shea have multiple titles between them while Steven Gerrard has none. Meanwhile, Fernando Morientes had a pocket full of silver before joining us. 

Agree that what he’s done before he came here isn’t very relevant. It’s what he does on the field for us that counts.

 

Still I think if you compare his individual honours to the ones of those United players you’ll notice a difference. Doesnt matter if you include all the mentioned United players.

[TheHowieLama]

14 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

Not sure how relevant his medal haul is really. Darren Fletcher, Nicky Butt and John O’ Shea have multiple titles between them while Steven Gerrard has none. Meanwhile, Fernando Morientes had a pocket full of silver before joining us. 

He did?

 

As what - a bit part player?

 

He was useful in Europe years prior.