Liverpool needs to sign successors and competitors for Fabinho and Thiago, but the statistics should prompt it to approach each transfer in different ways.
Sooner or later, Liverpool is going to have to find a replacement for a world-class midfielder in Thiago Alcântara.
The former Bayern Munich man is out of contract in around 18 months’ time and, even if the Reds do agree on an extension, they would be smart to bring in an eventual successor for the 31-year-old.
The problem is that Thiago is at once injury-prone and unique, frequently leaving a void a side like Liverpool isn’t able to fill.
By signing a player in the same mould, the club would acquire both short-term cover and a long-term solution.
But what is the Thiago mould? Well, a graph shared by football data enthusiast markstats on Twitter captures his unique skillset rather nicely (you can read that further down the page).
Of all central midfielders in the Premier League, Thiago ranks second for ball progression via passing, above Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and only behind his compatriot Rodri.
But when it comes to possession regains, he’s comfortably ahead of Rodri. Only João Palhinha of Fulham, Idrissa Gana Gueye of Everton and Cheick Doucouré of Crystal Palace are ahead for that metric.
All of this means that Thiago is one of only three players above average in both categories, alongside Manchester United’s Casemiro and Leeds United’s Marc Roca. He’s out on his own in the top right corner, exactly where you’d want a central midfielder to be.
To put it simply, Thiago is creative and destructive at the same time, and it will be a key challenge for Liverpool to find another player who excels in both departments.
While Thiago’s name stands out, teammate Fabinho is somewhat lost in the mire. He sits almost bang in the center of the graph, right at the mean for possession regains, but considerably below it for progressive passing.
It’s noteworthy that some of his defensive midfield peers, like Declan Rice and, even more so, Casemiro and Rodri sit well ahead of him.
Fabinho’s struggles this season have been well-documented but these numbers shouldn’t be seen simply as the product of poor form. Instead, they reflect his style of play.
At his best, the Brazilian is Liverpool’s ‘Lighthouse’ in the ‘organized chaos’, to quote assistant manager Pep Lijnders (via This is Anfield). But it’s possible to acknowledge that near-unparalleled defensive security he provided in his pomp while accepting that he may not be quite as well-rounded as some of his counterparts.
And so, when it comes to finding another specialist defensive midfielder — one of the biggest holes in Liverpool’s squad — perhaps the Reds shouldn’t pursue a clone. There’s a strong case to instead bring in a player who can offer more in a progressive sense.
Some would see it as smarter squad-building, offering Jürgen Klopp substantively different options for different opponents.
You might say that Fabinho’s limited contribution in this department isn’t necessarily an issue because he plays alongside Thiago, but look at midfield duos elsewhere. Casemiro and Rodri both play their part rather than looking to Christian Eriksen or De Bruyne.
Liverpool, then, is faced with two midfield transfer questions here, but should answer them in different ways. In the case of finding a Thiago successor, the aim should be continuity, but when it comes to landing a competitor for Fabinho, the goal ought to be evolution.
SOURCE: liverpool.com
