Graeme Souness has told the Pitch to Post podcast that Jamie Carragher is wrong to suggest that Liverpool midfielder Thiago is a ‘liability’ defensively.
Carragher tweeted during Liverpool’s game against Leicester City that Thiago was turning into a real weak point in the team defensively.
But Souness felt that Carragher’s view of Liverpool’s summer signing was way too harsh.
“Well Jamie was a defender. I was a midfield player, I know what it takes to be a good midfield player. I don’t see him as being a liability, that’s a bit extreme,” Souness said.
“There’s no doubt about it – he doesn’t have that high energy pressing the ball all the time, but if you’ve got two either side of him who can do that – whatever he misses he out on on the other side of the game, he will give you on the other side.
“I would not use the word liability and Thiago in the same sentence, definitely not.”
Thiago hasn’t made the impact at Liverpool many were hoping since his arrival in the summer.
The Spaniard was expected to come in and make Liverpool even more of a force, but injuries to key players have meant that Jurgen Klopp’s side are now fighting for a top four place.
Thiago hasn’t looked as comfortable in midfield as he often did in a Bayern shirt, and he is not controlling games in the same manner.
The 29-year-old has also been guilty of giving away far too many fouls.
However, there have still been plenty of signs of Thiago’s obvious class, and the hope is that he will become a more influential figure in Liverpool’s team when he fully adjusts to the pace of the Premier League.
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