Thiago Alcantara | Pool bound

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Yagami said:
Behind Herrera who should have had two assists, kept the ball well under pressure bar one shaky moment, and was, as usual, winning the ball back for fun.

It was no surprise PSG became disjointed and Thiago had free reign as soon as he was subbed for Draxler.

I'm still surprised Herrera was the best cm in a game that had Thiago and Verratti.
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Herrera had 1 tackle, 2 interceptions, and 1 blocked shot. Thiago had 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 0 blocks. To say nothing of Thiago's greater contribution on the ball.

Herrera didn't play badly but suggesting he was better than Thiago is absurd.
 
Champ said:
Mate, I play in the same position as him, i understand the role he has to play.
He plays as a proper number 6 for me, box to box with defensive duties as well as attacking plays.
Two assists is poor in that team.
Anyone wonder why there's no other teams in for him?
He's a good player but not top quality.
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Oh my....

Why are no other teams 'in' for Sancho? Must be shit. Actual real life football doesn't work the Fifa or FM portrays it.
 
Champ said:
Explain how what I have said is wrong in any way please?
Because if what I have said is wrong then yeah, it's a wind up!!
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Well, for one, Goretzka and Thiago don't play the same role. And insinuating that the term "double pivot" is somehow groundbreaking might have been relevant to the discourse a decade ago perhaps.
 
Best midfielder in the world currently. Doesn't collect scorers like de Bruyne but makes sure your team dominates.
 
Borys said:
Joy to watch, never put a foot wrong without being flashy. I didn't expect him to become that type of player but he's done good. His decision making is great, and he has quick footballing brain.

Pogba could become that good if he decides to work on his flaws. Talent wise, I don't think there is much between him and Thiago, but the latter has improved a lot since leaving barca, especially consistency.
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He is much better than Pogba playing deep. Pogba doesn't have his composure and positioning and add to that he is press resistance, has ability run the game and barely gives the ball away. Pogba has is other strengths but for the system we are playing personally feel he will fit in more than him. Saying that, 4-3-3 with Thiago, Pogba and Bruno could be fantastic for most of the games.
 
Yagami said:
Behind Herrera who should have had two assists, kept the ball well under pressure bar one shaky moment, and was, as usual, winning the ball back for fun.

It was no surprise PSG became disjointed and Thiago had free reign as soon as he was subbed for Draxler.

I'm still surprised Herrera was the best cm in a game that had Thiago and Verratti.
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No chance, Thiago pretty much deactivated PSG's pressing. He got out of situations that very very few players can get out from.
 
The amount of players we missed in the decade.

Bale,Modric,Benzema, Varane, Young Alexis, Hazard,Thiago,Kroos,Lewondosky,Kompany,Sane,Vandijk, Abumayang,, Alfonso Davies...List goes on
 
MaxiPaxi said:
I mean Carrick had games like Thiago on a regular.
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Nah he was a level below, couldn't hack it whenever he played midfielders of Thiago's level like a Xavi or Iniesta. Good passing range and very good defensively, but not the same level of first touch and quick movement.
 
Champ said:
Jesus wept
This is what gets me about this forum
Players like Carrick are non existent, people never mention them when it comes to great players, yet he was one, he was a class player.
Yet mention Thiago, and his poor assist ratio, in a high scoring team, and how it compares poorly to his midfield partner who's played less games, and people freak out,
All I'm trying to point out is he's a good player, not a great player.
Please play the role now this week and come back to me with words of wisdom, I'll be playing pre season Tuesday, maybe see you there?!!
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Where have I said Carrick wasn’t a great player? You’re the Sunday League Thiago claiming you know his position well and understand it despite showing all evidence to the contrary.

Do me a favour go to the most experienced coach at your club and tell them you don’t think Thiago has done well or that he’s only a good example of deep midfield play. If they are worth their salt they will explain to you how you could look at aspects of his game and incorporate them into yours depending on your build and technical ability any player could learn something from his performance tonight with the right coaching.


I feel like I touched a nerve with the hollywood ball thug DM comment reckon I’ve got you nail on the head though. If you really are a “semi pro” DM the best advice I can give you is to be open to learning new things about your position at all times. You might be 35 and in the twilight of your career but even without the yard of pace you can still improve the tactical side.

Thiago has shown you tonight a terrific level of performance without being Hollywood. I’d sooner have that on the pitch regularly then an extra 5 assists from him.
 
Bwuk said:
Wonder what they’d do with Fabinho if he goes to Liverpool.

Thiago is outstanding at #6.
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We'd rotate between the two if either is injured or Tiago would take Wijnaldum's spot if he leaves. Fabinho can also drop in at CB or RB if we're short, I don't think we'll add a CB if we're targeting another midfielder.
 
BenitoSTARR said:
You can’t be very good then if you dont have the intelligence to understand his role god you’re not one of those brutish DMs who think the odd Hollywood pass makes you a good player?

If you say you play I have no reason to not believe you but I worry for your team.

You do understand that within a double pivot you can have two different roles?

I wouldn’t say he’s like Carrick too much to be honest he’s more mobile, better dribbling and composed. And I’m a big fan of Carrick.

He hasn’t played the most amount of games 24 compare to 30 last season?

Even at Barca he had more games and. minutes wise this is his 4th highest season.

You need to learn the game better
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Thanks mate,
Glad I don't have you as a coach!!
Three promotions in a row kind of puts paid to your assessment to my team, considering I've been captain for the last four seasons.
He's played more games this season than last, but has less assists, could be change of managers maybe?
But as far as I can tell his position hasn't changed much,
I'd say I don't need to learn the game better, I'd say you need to PLAY the game more.
Kimmich is the most important player in Munich, Goretzka is the most important midfielder, Thiago can be swapped out, hence the numbers and hence games like against Dortmund for example where he didn't play yet Munich were comfortable during the game.
They won't miss him.
 
KeanoMagicHat said:
Nah he was a level below, couldn't hack it whenever he played midfielders of Thiago's level like a Xavi or Iniesta. Good passing range and very good defensively, but not the same level of first touch and quick movement.
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He was a different player to Thiago in a sense that he was much taller and hence he didn’t have same mobility but otherwise he’s just as good if not better than Thiago at passing. Also saying he couldn’t cut amongst Xavi and Iniesta is weird take. So just cause Xavi and Busquets outclassed us twice, does that make Carrick not world class? Is Pirlo a level below too? Considering Spain demolished Italy in 2012.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
He was a different player to Thiago in a sense that he was much taller and hence he didn’t have same mobility but otherwise he’s just as good if not better than Thiago at passing. Also saying he couldn’t cut amongst Xavi and Iniesta is weird take. So just cause Xavi and Busquets outclassed us twice, does that make Carrick not world class? Is Pirlo a level below too? Considering Spain demolished Italy in 2012.
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Carrick had his issues when being pressed, everyone knew that.
 
Champ said:
Thanks mate,
Glad I don't have you as a coach!!
Three promotions in a row kind of puts paid to your assessment to my team, considering I've been captain for the last four seasons.
He's played more games this season than last, but has less assists, could be change of managers maybe?
But as far as I can tell his position hasn't changed much,
I'd say I don't need to learn the game better, I'd say you need to PLAY the game more.
Kimmich is the most important player in Munich, Goretzka is the most important midfielder, Thiago can be swapped out, hence the numbers and hence games like against Dortmund for example where he didn't play yet Munich were comfortable during the game.
They won't miss him.
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Well, I agree with him that you have no clue. If you're a midfielder and don't get why that was a brillant performance, I've got bad news for you.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Carrick had his issues when being pressed, everyone knew that.
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When you say he had issues you make it like it was his weakness. It wasn’t. He wasn’t anywhere as nimble as someone Veratti or Thiago but he was very comfortable on the ball.
 
He'll unfortunately be a great buy for Liverpool. They'll have everything with this, flanks, forwards, midfield. Everything.
 
Champ said:
Thanks mate,
Glad I don't have you as a coach!!
Three promotions in a row kind of puts paid to your assessment to my team, considering I've been captain for the last four seasons.
He's played more games this season than last, but has less assists, could be change of managers maybe?
But as far as I can tell his position hasn't changed much,
I'd say I don't need to learn the game better, I'd say you need to PLAY the game more.
Kimmich is the most important player in Munich, Goretzka is the most important midfielder, Thiago can be swapped out, hence the numbers and hence games like against Dortmund for example where he didn't play yet Munich were comfortable during the game.
They won't miss him.
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I haven’t made any disparaging assessment of your team. I’m sure they are a lovely bunch of lads who want to do well and congratulations to your side on their promotions.

I think you come across as a bit arrogant and have shown a concerning lack of understanding of how your role can be performed as captain you should be open to learning more about the role maybe it’s the anonymity that is causing you to come across this way?

He played 3426 mins last season and this season has played 2975. This means he’s played less football. With 400+ mins less you’d expect less assists etc especially given his role.

The key point here is “as far a you can tell” just because you can’t see something or understand something doesn’t mean it’s not there.

If you honestly believe at 35 that playing semi pro you don’t need to learn the game better then you are quite possibly the most arrogant “player” I’ve met. Most footballers want to learn and the older they get the more they realise their is a lot more to learn.

Of course you learn a lot from playing football but you’re not at a good enough level to be thinking you know it all. It’s very arrogant of you to assume so and probably a key reason why you weren’t able to make it in the professional game.
 
sp_107 said:
The amount of players we missed in the decade.

Bale,Modric,Benzema, Varane, Young Alexis, Hazard,Thiago,Kroos,Lewondosky,Kompany,Sane,Vandijk, Abumayang,, Alfonso Davies...List goes on
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I'm not sure we missed all of them whatever that miss means.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
He was a different player to Thiago in a sense that he was much taller and hence he didn’t have same mobility but otherwise he’s just as good if not better than Thiago at passing. Also saying he couldn’t cut amongst Xavi and Iniesta is weird take. So just cause Xavi and Busquets outclassed us twice, does that make Carrick not world class? Is Pirlo a level below too? Considering Spain demolished Italy in 2012.
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Carrick isn't as press resistant as Thiago, perhaps due to the lack of mobility but I think they are about the same level in passing.
Thiago though is a superior dribbler but slightly poorer defensively.
 
TheMagicFoolBus said:
Herrera had 1 tackle, 2 interceptions, and 1 blocked shot. Thiago had 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 0 blocks. To say nothing of Thiago's greater contribution on the ball.

Herrera didn't play badly but suggesting he was better than Thiago is absurd.
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Yep, Thiago is always good off the ball, too. No way I'm disputing that. Overall, I thought Herrera was the best CM on the pitch, though, and I don't think - in general - he's anywhere near as good as Thiago and Verratti.
RooneyLegend said:
No chance, Thiago pretty much deactivated PSG's pressing. He got out of situations that very very few players can get out from.
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He did. He was, as usual, excellent at that. However, when Herrera was on the pitch, they were winning the ball back and countering at will. That stopped as soon as he was subbed. His importance in pretty much every chance they had wasn't unnoticed.

On another night, with Mbappé and di Marìa wearing their finishing boots, Herrera gets two assists and is a contender for MOTM. Unfortunately for him, it's a team game, and those missed chances negate what was a motm-esque European final performance.
 
croadyman said:
Will be now Champions League is finally out of the way,god it feels even worse than when Fabinho went there and that was hard to stomach too
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Thiago is so nice to watch it will be horrible to see him ply his trade for Liverpool... I still hold hope that he might be intercepted after tonight and literally go anywhere else.
 
Yagami said:
Yep, Thiago is always good off the ball, too. No way I'm disputing that. Overall, I thought Herrera was the best CM on the pitch, though, and I don't think - in general - he's anywhere near as good as Thiago and Verratti.

He did. He was, as usual, excellent at that. However, when Herrera was on the pitch, they were winning the ball back and countering at will. That stopped as soon as he was subbed. His importance in pretty much every chance they had wasn't unnoticed.

On another night, with Mbappé and di Marìa wearing their finishing boots, Herrera gets two assists and is a contender for MOTM. Unfortunately for him, it's a team game, and those missed chances negate what was a motm-esque European final performance.
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I agree with your assessment of his performance largely but I do believe overall Thiago edged it.
 
BenitoSTARR said:
I agree with your assessment of his performance largely but I do believe overall Thiago edged it.
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Yeah, that's fair enough, mate. I completely get why you - and everyone else - say that. After all, he was the key pivot to the winning side.
 
Yagami said:
Yeah, that's fair enough, mate. I completely get why you - and everyone else - say that. After all, he was the key pivot to the winning side.
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I think it would be fair to say that take Herrera out of that PSG side tonight and Bayern would have had far more joy down the LW against Kehrer so he was very influential in a defensive front. Particularly his closing down and delaying of attacks.

He was noticeably present and involved in a lot of the positive defensive and offensive actions so you can only praise him for his contributions tonight which in a CL final is fantastic.

However Thiago did all of that and provided a game changing moment. So I guess part of it is personal preference.

As you say though if Herrera gets those two assists and nothing else changes he’d have a MOTM performance on his hands.
 
Yagami said:
Yep, Thiago is always good off the ball, too. No way I'm disputing that. Overall, I thought Herrera was the best CM on the pitch, though, and I don't think - in general - he's anywhere near as good as Thiago and Verratti.

He did. He was, as usual, excellent at that. However, when Herrera was on the pitch, they were winning the ball back and countering at will. That stopped as soon as he was subbed. His importance in pretty much every chance they had wasn't unnoticed.

On another night, with Mbappé and di Marìa wearing their finishing boots, Herrera gets two assists and is a contender for MOTM. Unfortunately for him, it's a team game, and those missed chances negate what was a motm-esque European final performance.
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I'm not arguing that Herrera was bad, but I just take issue with the argument that he was better than Thiago.

Whilst I do agree that PSG struggled when he went off, I'd personally put this more down to the change in shape and approach. In particular, moving Neymar out to the left more or less killed PSG's buildup I thought - without any players central to draw Bayern's CBs further up, there were far less gaps to be exploited between the lines & in behind.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
When you say he had issues you make it like it was his weakness. It wasn’t. He wasn’t anywhere as nimble as someone Veratti or Thiago but he was very comfortable on the ball.
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There's levels to everything. He was very comfortable on the ball, Thiago on the other hand is amazing on the ball. He did have issues and we all knew it. He was pretty much the same as Alonso in that sense where as the likes of Busquets, Xavi, Verratti make pressure seem non existent.

That Thiago performance today is what Carrick wasn't capable of. However there are performances that Thiago puts out that Carrick was capable of cause not every team that is faced is great at pressing.
 
RooneyLegend said:
There's levels to everything. He was very comfortable on the ball, Thiago on the other hand is amazing on the ball. He did have issues and we all knew it. He was pretty much the same as Alonso in that sense where as the likes of Busquets, Xavi, Verratti make pressure seem non existent.

That Thiago performance today is what Carrick wasn't capable of. However there are performances that Thiago puts out that Carrick was capable of cause not every team that is faced is great at pressing.
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Couldn't agree more - Carrick could be marked out of a game and could be flustered by pressure from elite opposition, while Thiago simply can't. The latter is too good in tight spaces when receiving the ball and immediately evading pressure. Thiago's key move is to open his body as he's receiving a pass to deceive a pressing attacker - he both gains a momentum advantage and puts his body in between the ball and the opposition. I think Carrick could have mastered this skill had he been trained but it wasn't a regular feature of his game and it's this close control that separates Thiago in tight areas.

If Carrick had come up today with modern methods & in the context of the modern game, he very well could have been comfortable in these sorts of edge-case contexts. As it stands though, Carrick was a brilliant player who still remains a somewhat blunt instrument as compared to Thiago.
 
Absolutely love him.

His stats tonight:

Passes - 85
Pass Accuracy - 88.2%
Long passes - 14
Accurate Long Passes - 10
Key Passes - 2
Dribbles - 2
Tackles - 3
Interceptions - 2
 
Art said:
Moyes stopped Thiago and LVG stopped Kroos from joining. To think we could have had a Thiago Kroos Pogba midfield..
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Feeeeck. These last few years could have been very, very different...

If there's any possibility at all that we could tempt him to come here, we should look at him. Great player. Liverpool will be very lucky if they land him and will no doubt be delighted.
 
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