If there was some frustrated emotion in Gary Neville's description of Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara, then there was also some truth.
After the midfield maestro orchestrated a total demolition of Manchester United at Anfield on Tuesday, the former Old Trafford favourite suggested he: "Took the f****** p*** out of the Red Devils on the pitch. That he was laughing at them."
A true professional, it is simply not in Thiago’s nature to wilfully taunt any opponent, but you get the point. What Neville was really saying is that the Liverpool star was simply on a different level, a different plane, in fact.
Thiago's talents are unlike any player in the United midfield. But they are something different to anything Liverpool have had before under Jurgen Klopp. It was a point the Reds boss was keen to make after that humiliation of United. “There are only a few players in the world who see things earlier than anyone else, and have the technical ability to not only see it but get the ball there as well,” he said of the midfielder.
'You don't have five millions players like Thiago on the planet. He is a special talent, and he is in a real rhythm for us now, which helps him with finding the right spaces, the right turns and the right passes. It was a top game from him, a world-class player who is dangerous with and without the ball, and now we only need to keep him fit.'
That is the key to Thiago finally emerging as the orchestrator to Liverpool’s magnificent ensemble. Injury and Covid disrupted his first season at Anfield, and even this year, he has struggled to find the consistency of games. Since suffering the tearful pain of missing out on the League Cup final after getting injured in the warm up, he has started seven of the last 10 games and appeared in them all, his best run since arriving at the club. That rhythm as Klopp calls it, allows him not only to dictate Liverpool’s play with his passing but also contribute more energetically to the team’s renowned pressing tactics.
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Against United, he was outstanding in winning the ball high up the pitch, to spring counters. As Andy Robertson explained, the Italian-born Brazilian who plays for Spain (and has the perfect heritage), has shown an energy and movement in midfield that has inspired the rest of the team. “Playing on my side, it felt as if he was everywhere and we just kind of fed off each other, winning balls back. All three of us down the left worked really hard,” he said.
A fantastic team performance but the standing ovation Thiago got, he fully deserved. He worked so hard, he’s such a special player but he does the dirty work too, puts in the hard yards to win the ball back. The performances he’s putting in now are exceptional, and he needs to keep that going!” Klopp always knew that as Liverpool evolved under him, sides would drop off more, concede far more possession. That was evident against Manchester United, who had just 28 per cent possession at Anfield.
To pierce that sort of blanket defence, was initially troublesome for the German’s ‘heavy metal’ team - in his first two or three years they consistently beat the best opponents, but struggled against lesser teams. It was why he decided he needed Thiago in the first place. Now, that insight is paying rich dividends, and could deliver something very special indeed.
