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Liverpool: Thiago must start against Manchester United
Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes that Thiago Alcantara must start against Manchester United on Sunday.
Thiago’s time to shine
The 29-year-old has rarely featured since his £20m move from Bayern Munich in the summer after contracting coronavirus and suffering a knee injury back in October against local rivals Everton.
But when Thiago has featured, he has caught the eye, particularly of Michael Owen, who described him as a “proper baller” on Twitter despite their 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips is adamant that Thiago should start as he could be the one that gives Jurgen Klopp’s side the edge.
“Thiago can be the difference for Liverpool on Sunday. He was disappointing against Southampton but he has been out for a long while. He showed against Villa’s young lads that he has an amazing eye for a pass.
“He can unlock any defence. What a range of passing he has. I am sure he will start at the weekend because you expect them to dominate the possession. You want Thiago in your side.
“He can create opportunities because he breaks lines. He fires the ball into the front three so you want him on the ball to thread those passes. To get the best out of him, he just needs to keep playing.
“You want your top players to play in the big games so I would be very surprised if he did not start at the weekend.”
Transfer Tavern Verdict
Phillips is right. If Liverpool are going to have any chance of beating their arch-rivals, having Thiago at their disposal will be pivotal.
With Manchester United currently top of the standings by three points and the Reds close behind, no motivation will be required for tomorrow’s table-topping encounter.
But even with Thiago playing, Liverpool will still need to perform a lot better than they have in their recent slump.
In other news, Journalist reveals Virgil van Dijk could feature again before the end of the season.
