Liverpool No2 Lijnders: Thiago offers solutions; we remain unpredictable | OneFootball

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders says Thiago Alcantara has arrived to be an immediate first-choice.

Thiago made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on Sunday and Lijnders expects the Spain international to have a pivotal influence on the squad's defence of the Premier League title this season.

"We are really happy he is with us, this team deserves a player like him because he will keep us evolving," he said.

"Teams adapt, teams try to destroy our plans and we need to stay unpredictable.

"Unpredictability means that from each position we can play the last pass and we can speed up the game as much as we can. Thiago does that for us - he is a great signing for us. We haven't bought a problem - we have bought a solution."

Lijnders echoed manager Jurgen Klopp's mantra that the club would look to attack all four competitions they will compete in this season, with the squad expected to be a mix of experienced first-team players and younger members of the first-team set-up.

"[For] Tomorrow, I can only say the good thing over the last years is this group created a mentality to see the next game as a final," said Lijnders.

"The team who will represent us will be a good team, a strong team. They will show hunger, they will show desire to put our game in place."