Thiago Alcantara’s Latest Issue Encapsulates His Liverpool career

It was news that Liverpool supporters didn’t want, yet it hardly took them by surprise.

It was announced this week that Thiago Alcantara would miss the remaining games of the season due to an ongoing hip problem, and that surgery is in order to remedy the problem.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Thiago, with the silky Spaniard missing the majority of the season through one ailment or another. Thiago has made only 18 league appearances for Liverpool this season, starting only 42% of games in all competitions.

A hamstring issue kept him out of the side for the first portion of the season. He returned towards the end of the year, only to be hit with hip issues in February, and the issue hasn’t really gone away.

The end result is that surgery is needed in order to resolve the problem, and thus the end of Thiago’s season.

Thiago, who possesses feet of velcro but a body of glass, has frustrated fans in as equal measure as he’s delighted. When he plays, he clearly makes a difference. In fact, there isn’t anyone in the current squad who possesses the kind of technical wizardry. The way in which Thiago possesses the ball, or better yet caresses it, is a joy to behold, and his Champions League goal against Porto last season remains one of the best goals seen at Anfield in the last few years.

On the other hand, his multiple injuries means he can never be relied upon to play through an entire season unscathed. Thiago has missed some 65 games for Liverpool in his three seasons in England: that’s a full league season out of action, watching on from the side lines.

The idea is that Liverpool, with little to play for this season, want to get Thiago fit and firing from the off next season, and so by curtailing his season now, he’ll be fit and firing by the beginning of next. This sounds fine on paper, but given Thiago’s track record with injuries since arriving at Liverpool, one shouldn’t hold their breath on the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich star staying fit for long, sadly.

The jury is still out on whether Thiago has been a Liverpool success or not. No one is arguing his quality, yet many believe that Thiago’s uniqueness, and the things that make him unique within the squad, isn’t overly suited to Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp no doubt tried to change things up a little with the signing of Thiago, but in a lot of ways he’s slowed Liverpool’s midfield down.

This can be argued in two ways: the first being that he helps Liverpool control games, which is something that Klopp’s side lacked prior to his arrival. Secondly, that when Liverpool need to win the ball back high up the field, Thiago lacks the dynamism to press high and relentlessly in a manner that Klopp likes.

With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson showing signs of slowing down this season, especially the former, Thiago has looked more exposed in midfield when he has played without able cover to mask his weaknesses.

With Liverpool’s midfield due a much-needed revolution this summer, it remains to be seen what kind of future there is for the 32-year-old next season. He’s going into the final year of his contract, and while a sale this summer is unlikely, Thiago could be used sparingly amid a changing midfield.

Has Thiago been a success for Liverpool? The truth lies somewhere in the middle.