Jurgen Klopp has told BBC Sport (19/02, 17:21) that Liverpool must keep Thiago Alcantara fit after the confident performance the Spaniard produced to help beat Norwich City 3-1.
The Reds came from behind to beat the Canaries and keep pressure on Manchester City in the Premier League title race on Saturday with a game in hand. The Merseyside outfit also maintained a seven-point lead to third after Chelsea scrapped a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Milot Rashica’s early deflected second-half shot handed the visitors the lead as Klopp’s side struggled to get going. A shock win would have been the Carrow Road side’s first at Anfield since 1994. It would have also snapped the Reds’ 16-game unbeaten run, now stood at 17.
Yet Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah struck in quick succession to flip the scoreline before Luis Diaz added a third. Mane produced an acrobatic hit to pull Liverpool level, while Salah hit his 150th Reds goal. For Diaz, it was his first after a £37.5m January transfer from Porto.
Klopp feels Liverpool star Thiago was ‘full of confidence’ in Norwich win
Thiago made only his 13th Premier League appearance this season so far in Liverpool’s win over Norwich. The 30-year-old entered the action to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after 62-minutes with the Canaries ahead. Yet Mane would pull the Reds level two-minutes later.
Klopp has only started Thiago in nine of Liverpool’s top-flight fixtures so far this term after another injury-hit season. He missed five games between September and November with a calf issue. The 46-cap ace also sat out five over December and January with a hip gripe.
Injuries had plagued Thiago’s debut campaign with Klopp and Liverpool last season, too, as he made just 24 appearances. The £20m capture from Bayern Munich in September 2020 also only started 20 games. Now, Klopp hopes he can help to put his problems in the past.
“Thiago, with his passing, really fresh, really relaxed, full of confidence – that helped, as well,” Klopp said. “He is a good player; we just have to make sure we can keep him fit.”
Thiago helped settle Liverpool’s midfield after Klopp’s side fell behind at home to Norwich on Saturday. He also began to pull the strings with his passing helping the Reds spread the Canaries. Rarely did Thiago waste a pass or lose the ball, and will hope it marks a kickstart.
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