Since his arrival in Merseyside in 2018, Fabinho has not only been one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League but also the world.
Prior, Liverpool had lacked a player of Fabinho’s quality and one with his attributes since the Argentine Javier Mascherano.
The Merseyside club had been unable to replace Javier for years following his departure to Barcelona in 2010 but they struck gold when purchasing the Brazilian star from Monaco for a fee of £39 million.
With many of Jürgen Klopp’s signings, the 29-year-old wasn’t placed straight in the starting line-up, but rather given time to adjust to a new country, a new league, and a new system under the German manager.
However, it wasn’t long before Fabinho made his quality known during his debut season in 2018/19 and became a key player in Liverpool’s upcoming success.
However, five years on, conversations about whether the midfielder should be replaced have become more prevalent.
Just what has happened to Fabinho?
Lack of rotation
Despite not starting his debut season as one of the first names on the team sheet, he still made 28 appearances in the Premier League and 41 appearances in all competitions as he won the UEFA Champions League in his first season at the club.
Aside from the following season where he had 39 appearances in all competitions, Fabinho has made over 42 appearances in his next three seasons and with six more games to play this season, he will most likely play close to 50 games.
Liverpool have lacked sufficient cover for the defensive midfield position whilst Fabinho has been at the club, making him an extremely valuable asset at Liverpool, with opportunities to rest him too far and few between.
That has no doubt played an effect on his reduced physicality and reduced influence in midfield which has played a massive role in Liverpool’s failure of a season as they look to set to miss out on Champions League football for the first time since 2017.
Dire midfield situation
While Fabinho’s performances this season have certainly not been up to scratch and quite the decline from his usual performances, he has not been helped by his midfield partners.
The engine room has been a major issue for Liverpool this season with a restructuring of the midfield expected to take place this summer with several outgoings and arrivals set to occur.
A lack of athleticism around Fabinho with the declining Jordan Henderson and James Milner as well as an injury-prone Thiago Alcântara has exposed Fabinho and has forced him to play both the defensive and box-to-box midfield positions.
Could a more dynamic pairing in midfield help Fabinho get back to his best is a question that Liverpool fans certainly need answering for next season.
