Jurgen Klopp believes Thiago Alcantara has been unfortunate at Liverpool and dismissed as "b*******" suggestions his team's decline is down to the Spaniard.
Thiago has suffered a difficult time since arriving at the Premier League champions from Bayern Munich last summer, sidelined by both coronavirus and a serious knee injury.
His return in the New Year coincided with a dramatic slump in form from the Reds that has seen their defence of the title extinguished and Champions League qualification put in real jeopardy.
But Klopp is adamant those correlating Thiago's presence in midfield with the ongoing travails of his injury-ravaged squad are badly mistaken.
"He came in late, which is just the nature of some transfers, then he got Covid, got injured, and still had to adapt to a new team - and a team which was not exactly flying with no problems at all," said the Reds boss.
"We've had to rebuild the team pretty much every three days because of changing the last line and changing a lot of things, so that's just really unlucky for Thiago.
"But he has played some exceptional games and had some exceptional moments on the pitch, and he is so respected in the squad.
"It's just a public perception. 'Oh, Thiago is in and we don't perform well anymore.'
"These kind of things are just b*******, let me say it like that! They are just not right."
Klopp, speaking to Sky Sports, added: "Everybody needs time to adapt.
"Bayern played a different style, in a different league, and were much more dominant in the Bundesliga than any team can be in the Premier League.
"So, that's all different. But thank God, we are all smart enough to judge the situation correctly here.
"Thiago can play better football, yes, of course, but we all can play better football. No doubt about it."
