"Awful" - Steve McManaman was not impressed with Red against Villarreal

Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman was not impressed with Thiago Alcantara's performance against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica earlier this week.

The Reds midfielder struggled against the La Liga side. Thiago gave the ball away far too easily during the Champions League semi-final second leg fixture.

With that being the case, McManaman criticised the Spaniard during his commentary stint for BT Sport.

“He’s been brilliant over the last few weeks but he’s been awful today,” the 50-year-old said after 49 minutes of action.

“This is the night where you want him to control the game, spray passes around, be positive."

Anfield Watch Verdict

There is no denying that Thiago was off the pace against Villarreal. However, the midfielder has played well for Liverpool so far this season.

Thiago has been averaging a WhoScored player rating of 6.95 across the 2021-22 campaign.

So, we aren't going to be too critical of the Spaniard's performance against the La Liga side. Besides, Liverpool still won the match 3-2.

The Reds defeated Villarreal 5-2 on aggregate to progress to the Champions League final.

Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 6-5 on aggregate last night, which means that Liverpool will face the Spanish giants in the final.

The clash will take place in Paris on the 28th of May. If the Reds are to defeat Real Madrid, they will have to be at their best.

Liverpool are probably the better side on paper. But, you could have said the same about Manchester City.

Also, anything can happen in a one-off game. All we will say is that the Anfield faithful should embrace the build-up to the final.

It is not everyday that the Reds feature in the biggest fixture in club football.