This week marks two years since Liverpool signed Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich. It seems remarkable now that some pundits and fans were unsure about the likely success of the transfer, both in view of the Spanish international’s pedigree prior to his move to Merseyside and how well the Reds have done with him in the side.
The doubters were there, though, worried that his effortless style on the ball would slow the Reds down. It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable assumption, in fairness. Jurgen Klopp might have dialled down the ‘heavy metal football’ which characterised his early years in England, but his Liverpool side were still a seriously intense beast.
Concerns were still being raised half way through Thiago’s first season with the Reds. Any doubts would surely have been laid to rest far sooner had the first Merseyside derby of 2020/21 panned out differently.
