Thiago blanks out Barca to focus on a Reds adventure
LIVERPOOL V PORTO 8PM, BT SPORT
THIAGO has no interest in a Barcelona reunion with Xavi – all he wants is to win trophies with Liverpool.
The Spain midfielder was linked with a return to Barca now his former team-mate Xavi has taken over as manager of the club.
But after an injury-ravaged start to life at Liverpool, Thiago has no thoughts about heading back to where he began his career and won four La Liga titles and a Champions League.
“I’m focused on the duty I have with my team and the years I have in contract with my team,” he said.
“I just want to know about this new adventure that I have here in the Premier League and to try to win all the trophies I can.
“And my commitment is maximum with this team.”
Thiago’s life in England got off to a difficult start after he joined from Bayern Munich in September 2020.
He arrived in the midst of the pandemic and then on his first start for the Reds in October of last year against Everton he suffered a knee injury, which kept him out for almost three months.
There have been games when he has shown his best but he has struggled for consistency owing to various injuries since.
However, he displayed in the 4-0 victory against Arsenal on Saturday how much he can bring to Liverpool’s midfield and will get a chance to show it again against Porto in the Champions League this evening.
“It was very interrupted the first year with Liverpool,” he said. “Then I had a quick adaptation with the team in the league.
“We struggled last season for many reasons and this year you know much better the team-mates, the runs that they make, how they prefer to receive the ball, how they defend, how they attack.
“I am hoping to help the team in different ways, as the team want and coach wants. We are trying to win as we want to win.”
There has never been any doubt in the 30-year-old’s mind that he made the right decision in choosing Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp when many of Europe’s top clubs would have snapped him up 18 months ago.
Thiago added: “Why did I come to Liverpool? Because I wanted to win and go away from my comfort area and try new things and a great, different football, Jurgen’s football.”
Klopp will ring the changes for tonight’s clash with the Reds already through to the knockout stages as Group B winners following four straight victories in Europe.
But injuries mean some key first-team players will still feature at Anfield.
Klopp said: “We always respect the competition, however we have to think about ourselves and our schedule and the situation of our players first.”
LIVERPOOL (probable): Alisson; N Williams, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago, Morton; Salah, Origi, Minamino.
PORTO (probable): Marchesin; Corona, Pepe, Mbemba, Sanusi; Otavio, Uribe, Oliveira, Diaz; Taremi, Evanilson.