Paul Merson has explained why he believes Brazilian midfielder Fabinho is Liverpool’s most important player.
The former AS Monaco man has become a pivotal part of Jurgen Klopp’s side with his tough tackling and ability to break up opposition attacks and whenever the 28-year-old is not in the starting XI, his absence is felt, something Merson was keen to highlight when explaining his decision.
“I’m going to go out of the box here and pick a player whose absence caused Liverpool to struggle,” he told Sportskeeda (via The Sport Review).
“If Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah do not play, Liverpool still manage to win. Fabinho, however, is a necessity in Jurgen Klopp’s team.
“Liverpool’s midfield isn’t particularly strong, and Fabinho holds his team together admirably. He’s an absolute must in the midfield three and has played pivotal roles in their best performances this season.”
The No. 3 made 48 appearances for the Reds across all competitions and despite having the primary role of preventing goals, he netted eight times and registered one assist along the way.
He’s recognised as one of the world’s best defensive midfielders by many and also has 26 Brazil caps to his name.
The former Arsenal man also picked Alisson Becker as the second most important player to Jurgen Klopp’s side – the Brazil international won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award after keeping 20 clean sheets during the campaign.
Merson continued: “With all the talent that Liverpool have on the pitch, we forget that Alisson has made so many brilliant saves for them this season.
“I could’ve gone with Salah or Van Dijk, but this lad makes big saves at big times in big football matches – more so than any other goalkeeper.”
It’s certainly hard to disagree with 54-year-old’s comments.
We do have a seriously talented squad at the moment and there is therefore numerous candidates that Merson could’ve picked, but with the explanations that he’s provided, there won’t be many complaints from Liverpool supporters.
Let’s hope the pair can have another successful campaign next season as we attempt to be as competitive as possible once again.