Former Red provides theory on why Thiago did not start against Real Madrid | OneFootball

Liverpool came up against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals last Wednesday night.

The second leg at Anfield finished in a 0-0 draw. However, Real Madrid progressed to the semi-finals having won the tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara was named on the bench for the second leg. Former Red Dietmar Hamann believes he knows the reason why.

Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner started in Liverpool’s midfield against the La Liga giants on Wednesday night.

Hamann is under the impression that the three aforementioned players were picked because of their physicality.

Hamann told talkSPORT (15 April, 9am) the following when asked if he was surprised to see Thiago named on the bench against Real Madrid: “Yes, I was.

“I think it’s partly to do with (Klopp) thinking he needed a midfield with a bit of physicality and steel because he’s got two pretty inexperienced centre-backs at this level.”

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ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

We can understand where Hamann is coming from. Liverpool were 3-1 behind on aggregate heading into the second leg at Anfield, so perhaps Reds boss Jurgen Klopp picked the likes of Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Milner to rough up Real Madrid.

But, we believe that Liverpool could have used Thiago’s creativity for 90 minutes. Real Madrid sat deep for majority of the match, which made it difficult for Liverpool to score.

The game finished in a 0-0 draw as a result.