Fabinho is not an awful centre-back. At the start of the season, he was actually very good there.
But we’re simply a worse side when the Brazilian, the best holding midfielder on the planet, in our eyes, is used in defence – regardless of who’s alongside him or ahead of him.
The stats in 2021, since Liverpool went rapidly off the boil, prove it.
Matches Fabinho has played for LFC in 2021 (all competitions).
At Center back: W0 D3 L4.
In Midfield: W4 D1 L1.
— Joseph Cousins (@JCuzzy1) April 25, 2021
In fact, we haven’t won one of the seven games this calendar year in which our no.3 plays in defence.
Our best performances this season have come with Fabinho and Thiago in midfield, but for some reason, Jurgen Klopp stopped fielding them together not long after they’d formed a seemingly impressive partnership.
Obviously, with Nat Phillips injured, our options at centre-back are beyond thin. But is it not worth giving Ben Davies, signed in January and yet to play a minute, a turn?
I mean, it can’t get much worse, can it? Ozan Kabak and Davies in defence, with Fabinho, Thiago and one other in midfield.
That’s what we’d do – but we’ll see what happens going forward.