Gary Neville was shocked to see how relaxed Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara was during his post-match interview last night.
The Spaniard put in a masterful performance as Liverpool decimated Manchester United 4-0 at Anfield. And speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast after the game, the pundit noted how Thiago was laughing after the game.
“I’m watching Thiago and Salah do an interview here,” said Neville. “Thiago was laughing when he came off. He was laughing at them all game.”
It was a remarkably relaxed interview between Salah and Thiago who joked with each other throughout the questions asked of them on Sky.
Both players put in sensational performances last night. It’s great to see them happy and comfortable heading into the huge final stretch of the season for Liverpool.
Watching a master at work
Whatever way you look at it, Thiago was supreme against Manchester United. Every time he touched the ball you could feel the anticipation in the stadium rise.
Every pass he made was deliberate and with intention, there wasn’t a wasted ball all night. Whether it was a switch out to Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right or a slipped through ball down the middle of the pitch, everything was designed to set The Reds up to attack from the best possible position.
Aside from his quality, the 31-year-old’s relaxed nature after such a good display shows another reason why Liverpool were happy to waive their transfer policy to sign him.
Having won title after title during his career, he is no stranger to fighting on all fronts. Liverpool are now a team jam-packed with winners across the squad, but Thiago trumps them all.
His experience of competing for every trophy with Bayern Munich and Barcelona is hard to measure in tangible reward. But his influence on the team and the club is clearly growing.
His time at Liverpool so far has perhaps been a little underwhelming with some significant high points. Hopefully last night proves a watershed moment and he continues to assert his dominance from here on in.
If he can do that, and crucially if he can stay fit, then Liverpool may just win it all.
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