John Barnes claims Liverpool aren't as hardworking when star midfielder is in the squad

Liverpool legend, John Barnes, claims that the Reds aren't as hardworking when the Spaniard starts.

Barnes told bonuscodebets, "When Thiago plays we play. But of course on the converse of that when we lose the ball there are times where teams are getting at us because we haven’t got those three hard-working midfield players. So we’re tinkering with getting the balance right."

He added, "In possession, I think we’re equally as good or creative with Thiago. But out of possession, you can see we’re giving the opposition some chances because of the nature of the midfield that we actually have."

Barnes implied that a midfield trio of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and James Milner provide Liverpool with a more solid base.

Is Thiago a liability defensively?

Personally, I don't agree with Barnes' comments, thinking that Thiago improves the midfield quite a bit. When Thiago is in form, Liverpool are certainly a better side. In the 32 games that Fabinho and Thiago have started together, Liverpool won 26 and drew four, only losing two in the process.

The injury-prone Spaniard played 39 games last season, resulting in a dramatic improvement over the season before as the Reds were close to winning a quadruple. Even recently, Liverpool have been struggling without his presence.

Liverpool won the Community Shield with Thiago starting but got injured in the first Premier League match. The Reds started to struggle after that, winning only two games in the first seven appearances. Thiago returned against Ajax and Liverpool came back to overturn a one-goal deficit to win 2-1 over the Dutch side.

The Reds will return to action next weekend as they face Brighton at home. Thiago missed international duty and should be fresh for that fixture. This will be Liverpool's first Premier League game since the start of September, during the goalless draw with Everton.