Thiago Alcantara has been called the "flop of the season" as football fans on Twitter point out that Liverpool are yet to win any of the Premier League games he's started.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder was viewed as a superb piece of business when he arrived at Anfield in the summer. Injury has disrupted Thiago's season but he has shown flashes of his immense skill when he has played.
But fans and pundits have questioned whether he's the right fit for Jurgen Klopp's side - and so far the Reds haven't scored in a league game since Thiago returned from his knee injury.
On Thursday night, the champions saw their 68-game unbeaten league run at Anfield ended when they crashed to a 1-0 defeat to Burnley.
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Thiago isn't to blame for the long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez that have wrecked Liverpool's defence, of course. Nor is it Thiago's fault that several of Liverpool's key stars look tired or out of form.
But several Liverpool legends - including John Barnes and Dietmar Hamann - have questioned whether a playmaker like Thiago actually disrupts the balance of Klopp's team.
Liverpool's high-octane success in recent seasons has mostly come from the dynamic front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino - with full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold attacking down the flanks.
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Central midfield, featuring the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum and Naby Keita is - in general - more functional and hard-working than full of silky skills.
The 29-year-old Thiago offers a different option and he has shown moments of exquisite skill, earning rave reviews after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Everton earlier in the season.
But the simple stats say he has contributed no goals and no assists in his six Premier League appearances so far. The only win among those games came in his debut game, off the bench against Chelsea.
His last four appearances have coincided with Liverpool drawing 0-0 with Newcastle and Manchester United, and losing 1-0 to Southampton and Burnley.
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But is Thiago really partly to blame for Liverpool's poor run of form? Or is he just unfortunate that he's come into the side when so many of his teammates are struggling?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured image credit: PA Images
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