Liverpool could be handed major fitness boost vs West Brom – report
Liverpool could be handed a major boost ahead of the meeting with West Brom, following the news that Thiago could make his long-awaited return to action.
A report from the Liverpool Echo claims that the Spaniard could be in contention to face the Baggies on 27 December.
Liverpool’s summer signing has not featured for the Premier League champions since their draw with Everton back in the middle of October.
Since arriving from Bayern Munich in the summer, Thiago has been limited to just two Premier League appearances.
After suffering a long list of injuries this season, Thiago’s return to training earlier in the week will come as a timely boost to the Reds.
A threat from the bench
Having missed over two months of football, it is almost a certainty that Thiago will start on the bench if he does return against West Brom.
However, that will not make him any less of a threat against a West Brom side who are likely to be up against it throughout in what will only be Sam Allardyce’s second game in charge of the club.
Against Aston Villa, there was a clear shift of focus towards defensive solidity and risk-averse football when compared to the style of play implemented by Slaven Bilic.
Thiago is perhaps the Liverpool player best suited to picking holes in a compact defensive.
In the limited games that he has played in this season for both club and country, he boasts a 92% pass accuracy, according to Wyscout.
Meanwhile, he is averaging nearly 15 passes into the third per 90 minutes this season, as per Wyscout, highlighting just how positive he can be on the ball.
Michael Ballack once said of Thiago that ‘he makes gaps appear’, rather than waiting for them to appear.
If we see a similar defensive set-up to what we saw against Aston Villa at Anfield, which is not unlikely given their vast quality, Thiago’s vision and ability to unlock a defence could be very valuable to the home side.
In other West Brom news, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville make West Brom prediction after Allardyce appointment
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