Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace: 3 takeaways from another fantastic victory

Thiago Alcantara is going to be special here

Thiago Alcantara was always destined for greatness, even when he was a seldom-used Barcelona player. The Spanish international was seen as Pep Guardiola’s protege, and after joining forces with Pep at Bayern Munich, fans around Europe began to see exactly why the center midfielder was rated so highly by arguably the best manager in the world.

Since then, Thiago has become his own man. He was central to Bayern’s treble success, outplaying every outfield player in a star-studded Champions League Final between Die Roten and PSG. Thiago then wanted a new challenge, moving to the Premier League, where Liverpool picked him up from Germany’s most storied club at an affordable fee of 27 million pounds.

It has taken time for Thiago to adjust to the Premier League and find fitness, but you really have to say that the wait was worth it. Thiago has been beyond brilliant in Liverpool’s recent fixtures, showing a level of quality that we simply have not seen in this midfield. And that’s no slight on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita, and the potentially outgoing Wijnaldum. All five of those players are very good, with a couple of them arguably being world-class.

Thiago is unquestionably world-class. Only the most biased, jaded rival fans would argue otherwise. The passes he hit into progressive positions and the quick ball recoveries he made against Crystal Palace, West Brom, and Burnley were middle fingers to anyone who doubted whether or not Thiago could “fit” Jurgen Klopp’s style. Thiago isn’t just a tempo-setter in a possession-oriented offense. He can turn his dial to “heavy metal” with the best of them.

Let the haters who think “assists” is the best measure of center midfield play have their childish knowledge of statistics. Those of us who truly “know ball” will be anticipating an incredible 2021-2022 campaign from Thiago.