Jürgen Klopp on Thiago's first year and Liverpool's midfield 'evolution'
Jürgen Klopp discussed Thiago Alcantara's first year as a Liverpool player and his midfield set-up during the second part of his Crystal Palace pre-match press conference.
Saturday marks exactly 12 months since Thiago swapped Bayern Munich for the Reds, who welcome Patrick Vieira's side to Anfield in the Premier League at 3pm BST.
Read on for the rest of Klopp's media comments ahead of the meeting with the Eagles...
On assessing Thiago's first year at the club and how much more he thinks there is to come from the No.6...
Much more, because the start was not perfect. He came here, got COVID, got injured early and stuff like this. That, of course, makes things more difficult but he showed what kind of player he can be for us and will be for us. So, there's a lot more to come, of course. Maybe it's now a year but if you want it's actually only half a year because of all the things that happened around. Coming to a new club in the most difficult period of all our lives, he settled really well despite that. His family is here, loves it here. He's in the middle of the team – it was very quick the case – and he's a really good character and really good personality and obviously a world-class player. So, all fine.
On the tactical instructions he gives Thiago for matches...
It's different obviously with players because there are some natural skills what the boys have. In Thiago's case, all the technical stuff is kind of easy for him. But, of course, he had to and has to adapt to the way we play, the way we defend, all these kind of things. He played probably more often at Munich in the rather double-six role, maybe a slightly more offensive player, but for us it's a complex position. You have to be offensive, you have to be defensive, you have to be really in between the lines, you can drop but not always in the last line to receive the ball – all these kind of things. But actually he's a natural footballer. It's not that we now give him like 50, 60 different things during a game. We want him to play his football with some little things which he has had to adapt to in the way we play. And he did that, so that's all fine.
I don't ask him now for constant runs behind the last line or stuff like this. He's a playmaker obviously that can be sometimes a little bit deeper but must be very often between the two interesting lines of the opponent as well in a more closer area. But with this passing he can change the game immediately. He has great vision and can chip balls in each area he wants to – a bit like a golfer actually, a good golfer, a world-class golfer. He can do that obviously without thinking. I love the way he plays, all good. How I said, it's a complex position for us. But because we have the different skill sets, we use the different skill sets from time to time when we think this skill set makes more sense against this opponent – so more dynamic, more runs in behind, more natural offensive, more natural defensive, all these kind of things. So, that's the reason for different line-ups.
On Thiago only getting the chance to start with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho on one occasion...
How I said, they can work really well together and it will happen probably in the future – no doubt about that. How I said, we have so many different skill sets and I don't have a first three in midfield – why should I? The boys all have to offer in training, and if they offer in training then I have to make a decision. Even when we only have three days' time between two games, we try to prepare against the opponent as seriously as possible and that means how can you make little advantages? It's not just that we push through always exactly what you want to do. Maybe there are some different opportunities in the game against the opponent, so we have to try to use that. That's what we do. It's nothing to do with Thiago or whatever. The Premier League is too intense. Imagine you would have four midfielders only, and three of them have to play all the time and one is coming in from time to time – that just doesn't work. It's a very intense position with a lot of intense challenges where we have to be as fresh as possible to be just ready to face them. That's what we do.
Again, this year the start was not perfect [for Thiago]. So because of the Euros, he came slightly later, then he came here, was injured and then he could start the pre-season later with us. So that's not perfect but it's not a massive problem. Meanwhile, we are now in matchday five in the Premier League, so we are getting there. But it's a long season to come and, again, each little bit you can get fitter to be ready for that we try to use. While we do that, maybe sometimes other players have to play with a full pre-season. Autumn coming, the winter coming, spring coming and then the decisive early summer coming, and hopefully we can keep them all fit and fresh and it will be a really tough cookie to play against.
On whether there was a plan to try to 'evolve' the midfield...
We did try to develop every year, so that's how it is. Evolve every year. One thing you saw now [is] a really flexible triangle on the right side again, I would say. It was that flexible that at the end Mo Salah had to defend the right full-back position! Because Trent was in the box and Hendo was in the middle of the park or whatever. We want that but, of course, we are still in the process to really get settled that we are not that exposed in a situation like that. But apart from that, it gives you always offensively a little advantage but defensively you are slightly more open, so you have to figure out, you have to get the rhythm for that exactly right. But that's for sure different to last year. We want to do that on both wings, we need flexible triangles, we need to get supported. Usually when Bobby is playing, a lot of support from him by dropping but especially in the last game we didn't want that – we did it differently.
So these are the things we talk about. It's not that we only tell them who's the next opponent, play the same stuff again. We really try to improve and we really try to develop. For that, the door is open, very open for everybody to be part of that. So far it worked out really well. With Harvey, it was just nice to see how naturally he did that. A young player like him, you don't fiddle with 500,000 informations, we just let him play and have a look, 'OK, what's natural and where does he need a little advice or whatever?' He didn't need a lot of advice. He just played the position and it was really nice to see, that's why he played. He was there in the full pre-season, had all the sessions, that's why he played. But now Hendo played the position and Naby came in on the other side and played a super game offensively – it was really dominant and all that stuff. So it's nice to see that we can do that and, again, I said it's the engine room of a football team, this midfield. We have only three proper and not five or whatever. That means they have to be fit and really in charge of the game as much as we can, and that's why we decide from time to time like this.