“It is no good having all that experience and not using it” – Roy Keane brutally singles out Liverpool star for criticism after defeat to Arsenal
Roy Keane has slammed Thiago Alcantara for the role he played in two of the goals Liverpool conceded against Arsenal on Sunday (October 9).
The Reds fell to a dramatic 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium after a performance riddled with defensive errors. Klopp's side fell behind within the first minute of the encounter, before going behind twice more in the clash.
3-2 
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#ARSLIV
Penalty to The Arsenal...
SCORED BY SAKAAAAAAAAA! 🌶
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#️⃣ #ARSLIV https://t.co/hgX0edFnWE
Legendary midfielder Keane was far from impressed with Thiago, who kicked Gabriel Jesus to give away the decisive penalty towards the end of the game. The 31-year-old also failed to bring down an Arsenal attacker to stop a counter attack on the brink of half-time, which led to Liverpool conceding.
Speaking to Sky Sports, former Manchester United captain Keane claimed the goals that Jurgen Klopp's side conceded were 'hard to believe,' as he stated (as per The Liverpool Echo):
“It’s tough, but he does make contact and you are in trouble. I thought for the two goals, Thiago was very poor in terms of his midfield reactions. It is no good having all that experience and not using it.
“Some of the goals, from Liverpool’s point of view, are so poor and actually hard to believe you are watching, because it’s really bad positional play from experienced players.”
And Thiago Alcantara frequently ended up in a very difficult situation, because Tsimikas was positioned too high, and Henderson didn’t moved to the right space to receive the ball and carry Liverpool’s build-up, easing out Arsenal’s pressing structure. https://t.co/YH8WjVE39Z
Former Liverpool midfielder dubs Thiago Alcantara's perfromance 'a little bit worrying'
Danny Murphy was extremely concerned by the Spanish midfielder's inability to track back for the second goal, citing it as a major worry for Klopp.
The Reds have won just two of their eight Premier League encounters this season and Murphy is clearly concerned about his old side's form and commitment from certain players. The pundit said on Match of the Day 2 (as per Football 365):
“If you watch (Martin) Odegaard sprint forward, Thiago sees him, this is your central midfielder, you’re only playing with two, his reaction to try and get back in is a little bit worrying for me.
“We know he’s a wonderful technician, but really he should be busting a hut to try and get back in and you shouldn’t have your striker, (Darwin) Nunez, overtaking you to try and get in the box to clear the cross.
“That’s a little bit of a concern, especially when you play two in the middle.”
Thiago has been a key member of Klopp's team since his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2020, but injury has hampered his season far, playing just three top-flight encounters.