The injection of younger legs in the form of Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota (the former due to Andy Robertson’s injury) proved to be a sound decision by the coaching staff as Liverpool looked somewhat revitalised in their meeting with Ajax.
Reviewing the 2-1 victory over the incumbent Dutch champions, Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy paid tribute to the pair and Joel Matip on Twitter, labelling all three ‘superb’, whilst also acknowledging another classy display from Thiago Alcantara in the middle of the park.
Thiago with another display to underpin his importance to Liverpool's system. Tsimikas, Jota and Matip superb with Diaz tireless. Hosts eventually made their aerial dominance from setpieces count. Imperfect but MUCH improved: 19 shots from inside the box to Ajax's 3 tells a story
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) September 13, 2022
It was a testament to the 31-year-old that the Reds’ midfield was the most compact and reliable it has been all season following the Spaniard’s return from injury.
For many, of course, it will rightly highlight our apparent reliance on the former Blaugrana man in ensuring our system works as intended – a reliance that we reportedly attempted to end in the summer with moves for the likes of Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
Perhaps more work around the 4-2-3-1 is required to ensure that we have a functioning system in place should Thiago be unavailable for a particular game, though something has to change between now and the international break to make sure our latest victory isn’t another false dawn.
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