OPINION
It’s a dangerous business judging new signings before they have truly been given time to acclimatise to the Premier League, and one Liverpool player epitomises that more than any other.
Yes, we’re talking about Fabinho. The former Monaco man went through a really tough period in the first few months of last season, appearing unable to make the transition to English football.
However, over the past year he has developed into unequivocally one of the finest defensive midfielders in world football. That’s certainly the view of former Premier League striker Noel Whelan, that’s for sure.
“He looked off the pace when he first joined and struggled to get around the pitch,” the BBC pundit told Football Insider. “I thought, ‘have they made a mistake here?’ But I was wrong about him. He’s looking irreplaceable in the team and, amid great competition, may be Klopp’s first name on the team sheet.”
Whelan, not always the most astute judge of players, is showing that he’s got his head screwed on here. Fabinho has emerged from the shadows of a worrying start to life at Anfield to become one of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s most trusted lieutenants.
You only have to look at the statistics of what Fabinho has done this campaign to appreciate just how good the man is. As per WhoScored.com, the Brazil international is averaging 2.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.
Furthermore, he’s scored a goal – the stunner against Manchester City on Sunday – bagged two assists and is averaging one key pass per outing. Also, he is averaging 63.6 passes per game with a tremendous success rate of 87%.
This is a world class player who is probably the class of the top flight in terms of holding midfielders. His dominant display against City was clearly evidence of that, and it’s good to see Whelan admit the error of his way.
