"Waiting to hear now he has yellow fever or licked a poisonous frog" - Liverpool fans lose their mind as key player is ruled out of matchday squad for crunch UCL clash against Ajax
Liverpool fans were frustrated after seeing Thiago Alcantara's name left out of the matchday squad for their UEFA Champions League group stage game against Ajax on Wednesday (26 October).
Including tonight's fixture, Thiago has missed six games due to fitness issues this campaign. He was absent from the squad that traveled to Nottingham Forest on 22 October in a game that ended 1-0 for the home side.
Manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that the player missed the game against the Tricky Trees due to an ear infection. It remains to be seen if this is the same reason why he is not in the squad against the Dutch outfit.
Liverpool fans, however, were left irritated by his absence given his importance to the team. The Reds are visibly bland and spineless in midfield without the former Barcelona midfielder.
Here are some of the best reactions to Thiago's exclusion from the matchday squad, as found on Twitter:
No Thiago=loss twitter.com/lfc/status/158…
Wait is Thiago injured again?
No Thiago, no points twitter.com/lfc/status/158…
Midfield is always going to be a worry without Thiago. But please lads qualify tonight. #LFC
Some ear infection on Thiago. Waiting to hear now he has yellow fever or licked a poisonous frog. With his absence in mind, exactly the team you'd want. Konate back too, which is great. Bench looks ok if you only squint at it. No idea where the floor or ceiling is tonight twitter.com/LFC/status/158…
From the looks of it, the German tactician could field a 4-2-3-1 formation today with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho Tavares in a double pivot. Roberto Firmino could play behind striker Darwin Nunez while Havey Elliott and Mohamed Salah can man the flanks.
Given the versatility of the aforementioned players, it won't be a surprise to see Liverpool change shapes as the game goes on. In defense, Klopp has opted to start the usual suspects.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as full-backs. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk will partner each other at the heart of Liverpool's defense.
The English centre-back had a notably poor outing against Forest. However, with Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip out with injuries, Klopp wasn't left with a lot of options.
Liverpool need a point against Ajax to qualify
Liverpool will seal their qualification to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds if they manage a draw against Ajax.
The Merseysiders are currently on nine points from four matches - three behind group leaders Napoli and six ahead of the Dutch outfit. However, the idea of finishing as group winners would be enticing for Klopp.
Finishing atop the table improves the team's chances of getting a favorable draw in the round of 16. Napoli, meanwhile, take on fourth-placed Rangers in their Champions League fixture tonight.
The Italian side will then travel to Anfield to take on the Reds on 1 November. Napoli thrashed Klopp's men 4-1 in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona earlier this season.