Paul Merson told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (10/04/21 at 5:10 pm) that he just ‘cannot believe’ that Thiago Alcantara didn’t start Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Saturday.
It was a Trent Alexander-Arnold magic that helped secure all three points for a Liverpool team that were 1-0 down at half-time to another Ollie Watkins goal.
Whilst Liverpool weren’t at their best against a Villa team that put seven past them during the reverse fixture, it’s a valuable and much-needed three points for the Reds.
But Merson was critical of Liverpool midfield trio yesterday and believes that Liverpool ‘fell over the line’ against the Midlands outfit.
“They weren’t very good Liverpool,” said Merson. “They fell over the line. There’s something missing. The clicks not happening, at the moment.
“I thought the midfield three of Wijnaldum, Milner and Fabinho, it’s not going to put the ball through the eye of a needle.
“I just cannot believe Thiago doesn’t play in games like this when Villa are going to sit back. It’s a surprise to me.”
Whether Liverpool fell over the line or steamrolled to three points, at the end of the day, three points are three points.
And with Real Madrid sandwiched in between the Villa fixture, it was vital Klopp’s men secured all three points yesterday.
Now, it’s a case of doing the business against Madrid, who have a 3-1 lead from the first leg.
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