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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barney Ronay

Thiago remains the cool ball-playing scamp whether Liverpool are hot or cold

An illustration of Thiago Alcântara
Thiago Alcântara appears almost aggressively relaxed, able to breathe easiest when the oxygen is most scarce. Illustration: Matt Johnstone/The Guardian

There was a good Jürgen Klopp moment during Liverpool’s win at Southampton on Tuesday night. Nathan Redmond had just opened the scoring. The goal had come after a collision with a Liverpool player, drawing a minor wave of protest from the bench. Klopp has a standard move in these touchline moments: a bark of rage, a sudden pirouette, a flurry of air-punches like a man whirling around to fend off a late night pickpocket.

This time he did something new and much more haunting, standing totally still on the touchline and simply pointing at the referee with a long bony finger – and then carrying on pointing for what felt like ages, eyes ablaze, coat tails billowing, like some terrifying medieval woodcut called The Guilt of Man.

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