Fabinho at his absolute best is a force to be reckoned with, though his form since the start of the campaign has given rise to many a question and little in the way of answers.
Paul Merson admitted he can’t quite put his finger on why the Brazilian’s once elite performance levels have nosedived so harshly for Liverpool this term.
“Fabinho has played a lot of matches this season. I do like him, and I’m not sure what the problem is there,” the Sky Sports pundit wrote in his latest Sportskeeda column.
“If Liverpool are to be a success, they need him at their best.
“A lot of what he does goes unnoticed. If you’ve watched Liverpool over the years, you’ll know that the midfield three made everything happen. They’re struggling without a settled midfield.”
It has certainly contributed to the Reds’ overall struggles in the middle of the park, leaving our backline awfully exposed.
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Given that we’re only talking about a 29-year-old midfielder, we have to assume that the former Monaco man hasn’t simply breasted the hill of peak performance and fallen off a cliff.
Perhaps it’s a combination of mental, physical and emotional fatigue from our nearly historic 2021/22 season, not to mention the accumulated pressures of playing in a Jurgen Klopp team for several years.
Either way, there’s not a shadow of a doubt in our minds that we WILL see Fabinho back to his stunning best in the near future, perhaps after the World Cup.