Although Thiago has missed chunks of the current season owing to injuries and Illness, he has clocked up game time in all the games Liverpool have played this month, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
The Spain international has played the full 90 minutes in each of Liverpool’s last three top flight clashes and has earned plaudits for his classy displays, following a slow start to his Reds career.
However, former Ireland star Giles is of the view is that Thiago does not move in areas and call for the ball so that he can dictate a game from midfield, which is a quality great midfielders possess.
Giles admitted that Thiago has the ability to play a killer pass once he receives the ball, but stressed that only happens occasionally.
“In Thiago’s case he does not dictate the ball coming to him”, Giles said on Off The Ball.
“The ball just comes to him because he is in some part of the game.
“In other words, if you stand on the centre circle, on that spot for 90 minutes, you get ‘X’ amounts of possession of the ball, standing there.
“But what the great players do, they get around the pitch at the right time to be receiving the ball, so they dictate play from there.
“That is what [Luka] Modric does and the great midfield players.
“Thiago does not do that.
“When does he gets in the right position, he is capable of making the pass that he made the other day [against Manchester City], but it is only now and again.”
Liverpool are gearing up to take on rivals Manchester City at the weekend in an FA Cup semi-finals clash at Wembley.
