Jurgen Klopp should not play Fabinho against Aston Villa on Saturday, according to ex-Liverpool ace Steve Nicol.
The £100,000-a-week Brazilian midfielder [Spotrac] is one yellow card away from a suspension, with the Reds’ next outing in the Premier League coming against Manchester City next Sunday.
And Nicol does not believe it is worth risking him against the Villans.
Speaking on ESPN, he said: “100 per cent, absolutely the right decision. He’s important, but there’s ten other people who are as important as well.
“The fact is that there’s a game that Liverpool need him over another game, it’s City as opposed to Aston Villa. With not just Fabinho out, they should beat Villa.
“That’s just being smart, that’s not looking down your nose at anybody, that’s managing the season and looking at your fixtures and what’s best going forward.
“That’s smart, it’s certainly not disrespecting Aston Villa. It’s called brains.”
OPINION
This is a really tricky call for Klopp to make. It’s easy for Nicol to say that Fabinho should be left out, but if the Reds drop points here, then it the manager would be under all sorts of scrutiny. Equally, they need a full strength lineup against Manchester City, in what promises to be the biggest game of their season to date. Fabinho is so integral to this side that having him out of action at all is a serious blow. So far this term he has averaged 2.8 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game, as well as a.pass success rate of 87.5%, as per Whoscored. He is quickly becoming one of Klopp’s most vital players, and as such, this is a real conundrum for the Reds. Over to you, Jurgen.
