On The Ball | Fabinho underscored his Liverpool player of the year credentials in a return to his natural position – now he needs to stay there
- Fabinho, the Brazilian anchor man, was back to his best in the 2-0 win over Leipzig this week
- Playing players in their best positions is the quickest way out of this rut for Jurgen Klopp
Fabinho must be a shoo-in to be Liverpool’s player of the year. While all around him have underperformed or succumbed to injury, the 27-year-old has excelled. When he was needed to play at centre half, the Brazilian did his duty without complaint and shone in the unfamiliar job.
Now he can save Liverpool’s season. To do that, he needs to be back in midfield, no matter how dire the central defensive situation becomes.
On Wednesday night in Budapest in the 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig, Fabinho was magnificent. His presence in the centre of the park allowed Georginio Wijnaldum to play further up the pitch and give fresh life to Liverpool’s high press. It provided the chance for Thiago Alcantara to play his natural game and the 29-year-old turned in his best performance since arriving from Bayern Munich last summer. Fabinho made life easier for Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak, cutting off danger before it arrived on the doorstep of the inexperienced centre halves.
Who could have known that deploying a player in his natural position would be so effective?
Jurgen Klopp does not need to learn many lessons but the past few months have been instructive for the manager. As the injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip piled up and there was no experienced stopper to replace them, it seemed natural to call on Fabinho, who had played in the back line for Monaco. It might have been better had Klopp taken a deep breath, turned to Phillips and Rhys Williams and kept his title-winning midfield together.
