Thiago Alcantara

[3 Stacks]

The question really is whether we keep 5 high level attackers next season. Buying Diaz in Jan for the second part of the season was a masterful move and has given us the great depth we need as the games pile up. It's the reason we are where we are right now. But I would be surprised if we can afford to have so many top players for a full season.

 

Right now to me the likely thing is one of Firmino, Mané or Salah go, without a replacement. Maybe Carvalho becomes sort of that hybrid midfielder/forward who can plug the gaps in the squad in two positions. And then we have one big midfield signing, while Ox leaves.

[lebron]

Unless Bobby throws an absolute strop over lack of playing time (which seems very unlikely), there's zero chance he's out the door. He's much more important to us than whatever paltry sum we can get for him on the wrong side of 30 with a year remaining on his contract. Klopp loves him as well, so he definitely won't be leading the charge to get rid.

 

I think the same goes for Sadio actually. Can't see us cashing in on them, and both players know that they'll get bigger and better deals elsewhere by waiting a year if the club doesn't value them enough to give them the contracts they think they deserve.

 

I think Mo is the most likely to leave this summer, as he would catch a genuinely big sum of money still because of his profile and goals. I hope it doesn't get to that, but if anyone goes he's the one imo.

[lebron]

Back to Thiago. The ease with which he bypasses the lines of the opposition with a seemingly effortless pass is the true mark of a midfield maestro. See also Molby and Alonso. Ironically Guardiola was also a master at this...

[stringvest]

6 minutes ago, lebron said:

Back to Thiago. The ease with which he bypasses the lines of the opposition with a seemingly effortless pass is the true mark of a midfield maestro. See also Molby and Alonso. Ironically Guardiola was also a master at this...

not only that, but it's the speed at which he sees the pass.  I remember some saying he slows our play down.  Madness.  He does the absolute opposite, when it's sensible to do so.  You can give him the ball anywhere on the pitch, with opposition players all around him.  You absolutely can't do that with some of our midfielders, who would shit the bed and put their teammates into trouble rather than take responsibility.

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, lebron said:

Unless Bobby throws an absolute strop over lack of playing time (which seems very unlikely), there's zero chance he's out the door. He's much more important to us than whatever paltry sum we can get for him on the wrong side of 30 with a year remaining on his contract. Klopp loves him as well, so he definitely won't be leading the charge to get rid.

 

I think the same goes for Sadio actually. Can't see us cashing in on them, and both players know that they'll get bigger and better deals elsewhere by waiting a year if the club doesn't value them enough to give them the contracts they think they deserve.

 

I think Mo is the most likely to leave this summer, as he would catch a genuinely big sum of money still because of his profile and goals. I hope it doesn't get to that, but if anyone goes he's the one imo.

The problems are the contracts. We don't mind letting people leave for free, but surely not all of them and we're probably not extending all of them either.

[aRdja]

5 hours ago, stringvest said:

not only that, but it's the speed at which he sees the pass.  I remember some saying he slows our play down.  Madness.  He does the absolute opposite, when it's sensible to do so.  You can give him the ball anywhere on the pitch, with opposition players all around him.  You absolutely can't do that with some of our midfielders, who would shit the bed and put their teammates into trouble rather than take responsibility.

Yeah at the start of last season when we had barely seen him play for us or for some at all, but surely not since?

[stringvest]

19 minutes ago, aRdja said:

Yeah at the start of last season when we had barely seen him play for us or for some at all, but surely not since?

you'd be surprised.

[rubble-rouser]

I’d have started Keita tonight.

 

I can’t think of a better individual performance for us in 40 years. Rush v Villa 84 and Barnes v Forest 88 come to mind. What a player.

[manwiththestick]

Absolutely phenomenonal first half, playing in slippers.

[Tj hooker]

Ridiculous performance from him tonight playing football at a completely different level to most on the pitch .

[Scott_M]

I would say Thiago was excellent tonight but Fred and McTominay weren’t playing so it doesn’t count. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I love him so much I'd let him have the last packet of pickled onion Monster Munch.

[m0e]

3 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I would say Thiago was excellent tonight but Fred and McTominay weren’t playing so it doesn’t count. 

Hahahah

[Aventus]

Last year there was a bird on twitter who was a Bayern fan that absolutely loved Thiago, and she was getting quite upset that he was getting stick off some of our fans for not being good enough etc. 

 

I thought it was a bit weird that she was so upset about us not appreciating a player that doesn't even play for Bayern anymore, but fucking hell now I get it. 

[aRdja]

14 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I would say Thiago was excellent tonight but Fred and McTominay weren’t playing so it doesn’t count. 

Ha.

[TheHowieLama]

In early with the rating tonight from the Womometer:

 

6.84/10

[Vincent Vega]

[Aventus]

I liked his diving header pass at the edge of their box, don't see many of those. 

[sir roger]

4 minutes ago, Aventus said:

I liked his diving header pass at the edge of their box, don't see many of those. 

He's no Milan Jovanovic

[rubble-rouser]

On reflection, I may have been harsh on Kozma v Chesterfield

[Scott_M]

9 minutes ago, Vincent Vega said:

Moyes chose to sign Fellani over Thaigo. 

[J-V]

Great with the ball and without it.  Complete performance tonight.

[VladimirIlyich]

7 minutes ago, Aventus said:

I liked his diving header pass at the edge of their box, don't see many of those. 

You never saw me play 5 a side. Mine weren't intentional though.

[Colonel Bumcunt]

11 minutes ago, Vincent Vega said:

As bad a take as it was, he was sort of right.  Early Thiago was playing in a side where injuries fucked us and he was chasing the ball around.  Again, it's the old Thiago perception trick. He's the grease that keeps the clock mechanism ticking.  If he's having a bad game then the problem is with the rest of your team, not him. 

[stringvest]

what more can you say about the lad?  When he slips back to an 8 out of 10 performance, the old critics will be back, but again, that was as good as it gets from any midfielder.