Jamie Carragher says Liverpool fans 'can't get carried away' by Thiago Alcantara's first appearance, but reckons the Spaniard will strengthen the impressive midfield engine room available to Jurgen Klopp.
Thiago was officially unveiled as a Liverpool player on Friday, and was handed his debut during the 2-0 win at Chelsea, coming off the bench at half-time to produce an impressive shift in midfield.
While it was a very promising showing from the Spaniard, Sky Sports pundit Carragher insists that expectations will need to be kept in check, adding that the player could be more suited to a more advanced position than the one seen at Stamford Bridge.
"I wouldn’t get too carried away with that against Chelsea with 10 men," he said after the game.
"The interesting thing, for me, is that Klopp mentioned before the game that he’s coming from a system of two midfield players, and a number 10 in front of him.
"Just a couple of times today, when you’re in that holding role, you could get isolated, he’s probably not the quickest, eventually, it will be Henderson or Fabinho.
"I think you get a bit more from him in a higher-up position, maybe a bit more creativity as well, where he can cause more problems in and around the box with more bodies around him.
"We always talk about the Man City midfield - you think of Silva and De Bruyne - sometimes, compare that to the Liverpool midfield.
"The Liverpool way of playing is completely different. That midfield three do a lot of work for the front three because they play so narrow.
"A lot of the time, you see Henderson going into a wide position, and Wijnaldum, so it’s not just about what Thiago can bring to Liverpool."
Carragher has welcomed the number of options now available to Klopp - and looks forward to seeing Thiago add "something different" to the mix.
He added: "He’s still got to add those things that the other midfielders bring. Let’s not forget what this midfield has done for Liverpool - they’ve made two Champions League finals and won one of them, and won the league also.
"I don’t think bringing Thiago in necessarily gives Liverpool more chance of winning the league, I think they’ll possibly be a better watch and it gives you more armoury.
"I don’t think it’s a game-changer as such, but he adds something different.”
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