When asked about Liverpool’s transition play against “deeper” teams, Thiago Alcantara noted the difficulty of imposing their style upon a game when an opponent is unwilling to come out to face them.
The Spaniard spoke of the importance of grabbing an early goal in order to encourage sides who favour a low-block against the league champions to come out of their half and open themselves up to the Reds’ quick transitions.
Recently against Manchester United, we saw flashes of such transition play, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were far more willing than prior opponents to vacate their half.
READ MORE: (Video) Thiago highlights the insanity of English football
Ultimately, however, we’re not always going to come up against clubs who are happy to play the game the way we think it should be played.
With a full-strength squad, of course, we’re usually more than capable of breaking down the deepest of low-blocks.
We can only hope that the availability of Thiago will help offset the loss of key stars who help contribute to the speed of our play.
You can catch the clip below (at 1:31), courtesy of BT Sport:
Thiago Alcântara has enjoyed success in Spain, Germany and on the international stage 🏆
Now the Spaniard is focused on winning trophies with Liverpool 🔴
After a difficult spell for the Reds, he's out to help steer their season back on track… pic.twitter.com/aMBLiS3zvp
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2021