Liverpool never got to see the very best of Thiago Alcantara, and the environment he arrived into did little to help him settle at Anfield.
Even though injuries kept him from reaching his full potential on Merseyside, on ability, Thiago was one of Liverpool’s best midfielders since Steven Gerrard. He had everything to his game, and was a true world-class talent.
But his arrival at Anfield came during a rather turbulent time, not for Liverpool, but for the world at large. He recently opened up on what it was like coming to a new country at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Thiago Alcantara found it hard to settle at Liverpool during the pandemic
It feels like a lifetime ago that the world was turned upside-down by a pandemic that deprived Liverpool of a proper celebration when they won their first Premier League title in over thirty years.
Thiago arrived at the start of the following season, brought in to add an X-factor to Jurgen Klopp’s industrious midfield unit.
Thiago was on That Peter Crouch Podcast, where he described an environment that didn’t make it easy to adjust to a new league.
He recalls: “When I first arrived here, it was the COVID situation at that time, and it was a bit weird because Premier League, the full stadiums, crowd attendance, but suddenly everything empty. It was a bit strange at the beginning.”
tHIAGO aLCANTARA AND xHERDAN sHAQIRI FOR lIVERPOOL
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Thiago didn’t hit the ground running at Liverpool. He was constantly hindered by injuries, but his first absence as a Red was actually due to catching the virus just weeks into his stint at Anfield. That would be an early sign of the stop-start nature of his Liverpool career.
Thiago says Roberto Firmino was the best Liverpool player
It’s almost a tradition for players of the Klopp era to go on podcasts and talk about just how special Roberto Firmino was.
Thiago names him as the best he played with during his time in England, explaining: ““Then Liverpool, I would say Bobby Firmino, I was in love with that player.
“He puts his talents in the service of the team, he was so good on the ball, quick, strong, a great goalscorer. So yeah, I would say so.”
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There is a huge ‘what-if’ element to the Spaniard’s Liverpool career. On his day, he was simply unplayable, but the stars seldom aligned for him. Still, that goal against Porto in the Champions League will live long in the memory of Liverpool fans.
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