Liverpool drew a second successive match in the Premier League when they were held 0-0 by Newcastle United on Wednesday night, but the big positive to have emerged from the match from a Reds’ perspective was the return of Thiago Alcantara.
The former Bayern Munich man had only played twice for the Reds this season, following a red-card tackle from Richarlison in the Merseyside derby which left the No.6 sidelined with a knee injury.
Thiago came on as a second-half substitute at St. James’ Park and quickly showed his capabilities, with Jurgen Klopp, who was largely pleased with his side’s performance, acknowledging his player’s technical superiority - but also the fact he’ll need more matches and training sessions to get up to speed.
"We signed Thiago because we thought he was a good player. You can imagine we would like to have him in the team, that is clear," the manager said post-game.
"It's good. Thiago is a super player. For the 20 minutes, 12 were brilliant and then he felt the intensity.
“That's normal as he trained exactly twice with the team. He still has some physical work to do, still some rhythm to get.”
His cameo showed a creative spark missing at times over the last couple of matches and former striker Michael Owen has seen enough to feel the Spain international will bring a much-needed level of quality, not just to Liverpool but to the entire league.
Taking to Twitter, Owen noted the midfielder is “so different to anything else in the Premier League” and spoke of his “excitement” at getting to see him in action once more.
Liverpool are three points clear at the top of the Premier League table following their draw with Newcastle.
They face Southampton next in the league and host second-placed Manchester United at Anfield on 17 January.
