Fabinho has been in disastrous form during Liverpool’s poor start to the season (Picture: Getty)
Micah Richards has explained a key reason why Fabinho has been playing so badly for Liverpool this season.
The versatile 29-year-old Brazil international, who mainly plays as a defensive midfielder, has been in disastrous form during the Reds’ poor start to 2022-23.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, who were one game away from winning the Premier League title last term, are ninth in the table after their opening 12 goals of the campaign.
Liverpool have only won four of those and have already lost twice as many top-flight games as in the whole of last season, while only 17th-placed Southampton have conceded the first goal in more Premier League matches this term.
‘It’s quite strange isn’t it, we were talking about Fabinho about 18 months ago as being the best defensive midfielder in world football,’ Richards told the BBC.
‘He just looks like he can do all the same things apart from the legs.
‘You know when you’re a midfielder and your legs just start to go, and you can’t get around the pitch as much as you would like, that’s what it seems to be.
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‘I think it’s difficult at times when [Jurgen Klopp has] played Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott, two more offensive [players], when normally he’s had a Jordan Henderson next to him or a Thiago Alcantara next to him.’
Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez also recently spoke about Fabinho’s struggles at Anfield this season.
‘Fabinho is a player who needs solutions around him,’ Benitez told The Times.
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‘He is not like Thiago Alcantara who can pass to his left, right, in front or wherever because he can see all these things.
‘But then, Thiago cannot challenge like Fabinho or provide the same balance.
‘In Fabinho’s case, the solutions are having players around him in the right positions so he can give them the ball.
‘If this happens then he will make fewer mistakes and can continue protecting the centre backs. He needs a bit of belief at the moment, but he is still a great player.’
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‘It’s quite strange isn’t it…’
