Kevin De Bruyne will return to Manchester City, Liverpool ‘s title opponent, in the new year, but the Reds can improve their midfield in a similar way.
When Liverpool captured the signing of superstar midfielder Thiago from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020, Jürgen Klopp believed he had a ‘game-changer’ on his hands. Unfortunately, in the three-and-a-half years since, the Spaniard has yet to justify that assessment.
In his debut season, he was unavailable for 13 of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League matches, and wasn’t able to consistently deliver until the run-in as Klopp found a formula to salvage a top-four finish. The following year, he did demonstrate why the German was so eager to sign him by making the PFA team of the year after Liverpool’s 92-point title push and playing an influential role in both the team’s FA Cup success and Champions League final run.
But in 2022/23, he was only able to start 14 league games, and rather than elevating in a dysfunctional Liverpool midfield, he was dragged down into the mire. In his defense, this was hardly an environment conducive to individual success, and he couldn’t be expected to cure all his team’s ills single-handedly.
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This season, he hasn’t so much as kicked a ball for the Reds. The initial prognosis was that he’d be back for pre-season but a succession of setbacks has sent that timeline spiraling into 2024. “With Thiago, it’s an ongoing thing and we cannot put any kind of pressure on that,” Klopp said in November (via The Athletic). “We expect him to be back around probably the start of the new year. I would say that’s probably a realistic thing to try and I can’t wait, to be honest, to have him back. He is just exceptional.”
Klopp has had a habit during his time at Liverpool of describing players returning from long-term injury absences as ‘new signings’, one that has irritated supporters who believe the club should be more proactive in the transfer market. But to all intents and purposes, it will be true here, with Thiago dropped into the side in the winter like a January addition — around the same time Manchester City is able to welcome back Kevin De Bruyne.
Thiago will, of course, need time to regain maximum sharpness after what will be nearly a year without action (he last played in April), but when he does, Klopp will be able to unleash a player of undoubted world-class quality. The question is for how long, but Liverpool’s summer rebuild has furnished the manager with enough options to manage Thiago’s load carefully, and if the Reds can keep him fit, then he could well be that ‘gamechanger’ in particular title-race moments.
The 32-year-old looks better-suited to the number six role than Alexis Mac Allister, offering similar qualities in possession and greater defensive security, and so he could help remedy what some regard as a problem position. He’ll also enable Liverpool to exert greater control within matches, again something of a weakness for a team that has struggled to produce consistent 90-minute performances, and he’ll provide experience of winning in what is an exceedingly youthful midfield.
We certainly didn’t see the best version of Thiago last season, but based on the evidence of 2021/22, we’re far more likely to see it in a structurally-sound outfit that is capable of competing for titles. That, after all, would have been what Klopp envisaged when he arrived.
With De Bruyne set for a Manchester City comeback too, a January return would be perfect, even if Liverpool will remain skeptical until it happens. While the evidence of recent months suggests Rodri is more important to City’s fortunes, there’s no question that De Bruyne can be a difference-maker as arguably the best player in the Premier League. Thiago isn’t in that conversation, but his comeback could be the perfect response on Merseyside as both teams introduce significant midfield upgrades amid a race for the title.
The former Bayern and Barcelona man is out of contract at the end of the season and his no-show up to this point means he’s surely set to leave. But there’s still reason to be hopeful that he can inspire Liverpool in the race for the title before his Anfield career is out.
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