Every now and then, a player showcases precisely why his club bought him and on Wednesday night, Thiago Alcantara did exactly that. Liverpool travelled to the Emirates to take on high-flying Arsenal and after 53 minutes of football, nothing separated the two sides.
The Reds had mustered a total of just three shots, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were struggling to impact proceedings in the final third as much as usual. The pair of full-backs seemed reluctant to advance into the valuable areas of the pitch due to the counter-attacking qualities of their direct opponents.
"It was a bit more of a defensive performance from me and Trent tonight," said Robertson after the clash. "Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are really hard work. I think Trent Alexander-Arnold was outstanding. It was a really tough game. It was great to have a clean sheet."
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When Liverpool first began to emerge as an elite force under Jurgen Klopp, the German coach relied heavily upon the offensive potential of his two full-backs. His midfield department was packed full of industry, endeavour and discipline, which meant attacking support for his front three would have to come from elsewhere.
Since the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign, Alexander-Arnold has registered 43 assists in the Premier League, and Robertson isn't far behind on 40. The duo have opened a countless number of doors for their teammates over the years, but it didn't take long for opponents to begin attempting to nullify their impact.
“Every opponent makes the middle closed for us, so the space is on the sides," said Pep Lijnders - Klopp's assistant - when explaining Liverpool's approach. "Openings must come from there. Trent and Robbo literally give us wings. But the rotten thing is that teams are already trying to stop that. It’s up to us to remain unpredictable.”
After securing the Premier League title by depending on their full-back weaponry in 2019/20, Liverpool anticipated future issues and brought Thiago to Merseyside.
The illustrious midfielder was described by Lijnders as a 'solution' at the time. “Teams adapt, teams try to destroy our plans and what is most important is that we stay unpredictable," he said. "Unpredictability means from each position we can play the last pass and we can speed up the game, and Thiago does that for us.”
On Wednesday night at the Emirates - as Alexander-Arnold and Robertson prioritised defensive positioning more so than ever - Thiago assumed possession of the ball in the middle of the park. He scanned the field ahead of him, and played an incisive pass straight through Arsenal's compact shape into the feet of Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese forward had drifted into a small pocket of space between Cedric and Ben White. None of Klopp's previous selection of Liverpool midfielders would have been able to find Jota, but Thiago is different.
His difference has been criticised by some since he moved to England. John Barnes famously accused the two-time Champions League winner of slowing the Reds down last season, and Paulo Di Canio said he was 'not suitable for Klopp’s game' as recently as two weeks ago.
He is poles apart from his midfield teammates in a stylistic sense, but that is the whole point. His unconventional skill set is extremely valuable and as Liverpool approach the climactic stage of the season, he looks set to be integral to how Klopp's men will navigate the problems which lie ahead of them.
