Thiago Alcantara produced a standout performance against Manchester United on Tuesday to prove his doubters wrong once and for all.
The midfielder arrived at Liverpool from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich ahead of the start of last season to much fanfare. But some pundits questioned whether his more composed style on the ball suited the Reds' rock and roll style of play.
Those doubts have been smashed though after a week that saw Thiago play a key role as Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and hammer fierce rivals United. He provided an assist as the Reds defeated Manchester City at Wembley last Saturday.
He backed up that display with a standout performance against United, completing 96 per cent of his passes, won 67 per cent of his tackles and completed all of his dribbles. Though his campaign has been disrupted by injury, Thiago has now more than shown that he perfectly fits into Liverpool's system.
That is not something that has been lost on Jurgen Klopp, who has repeatedly made it clear he never had doubts about the midfielder. The German has now hit back at those who doubted Thiago following his arrival, insisting he has proved those critics wrong.
"People were questioning if he suits our football? Thank God these people don’t make decisions, if a player is calming a game down in moments due to a lot of reasons - one of them is just to have a look, or whatever - it is of course nothing we thought [was wrong]," Klopp said.
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"It is more important Thiago wanted to join us and he knew how we played. He is a real football person and thinks a lot about football. He knew how we played and he knew he we would fit in and we knew it as well.
"It is always about being fit and staying fit and getting used to the slight differences to the former club, whatever these things are in different teams. Then you can go from there. Thiago had only one problem, he was injured. It was never a question if he would suit us."
Thiago will have the chance to further hit back at his doubters on Sunday when Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby. It would be a surprise to see the 31-year-old lose his place in the starting line-up given Klopp's praise of him heading into that clash.
Far from diminish from Liverpool's vibrant attack, Thiago's slightly different style has in fact added to it. That has helped the Reds to secure their status as the Premier League's highest scorers, a key part of their title challenge.
His experience of winning multiple doubles and trebles at Barcelona and Bayern Munich will also surely prove invaluable in the final weeks of the campaign. Thiago is sure to play a key role, with Liverpool pushing to add to the Carabao Cup they won earlier this season.
