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The trio will be further encouraged by the fact Thiago has already created five goalscoring chances at Liverpool, which works out at 1.6 per 90 minutes – higher than his average of 1.1 per 90 for Bayern last season.

Faith, trust, reliance – it was all there, and Thiago did not let Flick down.



On a warm Saturday evening at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, and just before the session started, Hansi Flick could be seen speaking with Thiago for a solid two minutes.



or an indication of how important Thiago Alcântara was to Bayern Munich, it is worth going back to the team’s last training session before last season’s Champions League final.



The conversation appeared to be about passing strategies and made for compelling viewing given its intensity, seen most strikingly in the moment the head coach shoulder-checked the midfielder.

“We’ve got a massive pool of exceptional midfielders but he’s the heartbeat, a player who can do everything with the ball.” Of that there is little doubt and, starting on Sunday, the hope for Liverpool is that he can make a telling contribution to this tightest of title races.

It was also unique – no other Bayern player, at that most crucial of stages, received the same attention.