Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sent another reason for Thiago Alcantara struggles

Liverpool: Does history suggest they can close gap?

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Former Chelsea defender Robert Huth has become the latest to suggest Thiago Alcantara is a contributing factor to Liverpool’s Premier League woes. The Red were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City on Sunday, leaving them ten points behind the league leaders having played a game more.

It means their chances of retaining the title look all but over, with Jurgen Klopp now admitting the team’s main focus is on a top-four finish.

Thiago was the most high-profile signing of Liverpool’s summer window, arriving for £20million from European champions Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard came with a stunning reputation, but despite some impressive individual performances, the team have thus far failed to gel with him in midfield.

Ex-Liverpool players John Barnes and Diermar Hamann have already claimed Thiago doesn’t necessarily fit in with Klopp’s style.

And now Huth has suggested that he lacks the kind of energy that allows Klopp’s side to play the ‘heavy metal’ brand of football that guided them to such success.

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“They are such an amazing machine Liverpool, when they have all the players available they’re literally 11 machines on a pitch,” he told Compare.Bet.

“When you take a few out, you lose that sort of momentum, like Henderson playing at centre-back – people not playing in their positions.

“While it might be doable for the short–term,  ultimately you want all your best players playing in their best positions and that hasn’t come.

“Where Liverpool used to be really threatening on the counter, winning the ball high up, having Thiago in there now, as great a player as he is, he just doesn’t have the energy.

“ I mean [he’s had an] amazing career for sure, but he’s not going to be flying around like Henderson does, like Wijnaldum does, like all the other players.

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“They need a real high energy player to break the lines when they win the ball. All that sort of thing is missing.

“Like Klopp used to say, it’s heavy metal football and they’d just blow teams away, but that sort of energy is missing at the moment.”

Former Liverpool defender Glenn Johnson recently suggested that Klopp was playing Thiago out of position, which could be contributing to his struggles.

“When Liverpool were linked with Thiago before they signed him, I was happy and thought he’d be fantastic,” Johnson told Betting Expert.

“He’s world class but he has to have a floating role where he can do what he wants.

“I would prefer to see him when Henderson and Fabinho are there to anchor the midfield and let him wander around and dissect the game as he sees it because some of his passing and vision is something that no other player has; it’s the sort of thing you can’t teach.”

Speaking earlier this month, Klopp backed his signing, but did admit that his start to life at Anfield has been ‘far from perfect;.

“The situation is far from perfect, injured, ill, but not too important any more,” said Klopp.

“We and he had to learn how to play without changing everything.

“He was 6 at Bayern but we decided to adapt his position a bit. Worked out well. Stability, we can use his skills.”

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