There may not be a midfielder in world football who can frustrate and dazzle to the extremes like Thiago Alcantara.
The Spaniard should be remembered as one of the finest in his position of his generation, but constant battles with injuries have thrust his career into ‘what could’ve been’ territory.
Thiago has still achieved so much and played leading roles in multiple title-winning outfits, but a nagging feeling that he could’ve been so much more continues to manifest.
His time at Liverpool thus far has perpetuated the frustration-dazzling dichotomy. Typically majestic when available, the Spaniard has often wowed the Anfield faithful, but injury woes have continued to plague him.
His latest setback means he’ll miss the remainder of the 2022/23 season, and some have questioned whether Thiago has already played his final game for the Reds. Here’s an overview of his injury history at Liverpool.
|
Total appearances |
Starts |
Substitute appearances |
Games missed |
% of games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
30 |
23 |
7 |
21 |
41.2 |
The majority of the games Thiago missed during his debut season at Anfield came as a result of the knee injury he sustained in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 17 October 2020. That was a fateful day for the club, as they also lost Virgil van Dijk for the remainder of the season.
The Spaniard was out for over two months and missed 17 games. He’d previously missed four after contracting Covid-19.
However, his injury issues subsided during the second half of the season and the midfielder was able to start 21 of Liverpool’s last 22 Premier League games.
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|
Total appearances |
Starts |
Substitute appearances |
Games missed |
% of games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 |
26 |
13 |
23 |
36.5 |
Multiple issues plagued the Spaniard during Liverpool’s excellent 2021/22 campaign that almost ended in a historic quadruple.
Thiago missed 23 games of the Reds’ extended season, most of which came as a result of a calf injury picked up at the start of the campaign. This saw him miss ten games in the autumn.
After briefly nursing hip and thigh injuries, the Spaniard was injury-free down the stretch as the Reds progressed into the Champions League final and took Man City all the way in the Premier League title race. The 32-year-old started all but one of Liverpool’s knockout ties in Europe, but his minutes were managed carefully by Jurgen Klopp.
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