Micah Richards
claims that a 29-year-old Liverpool player is no longer among the best in the world because his legs began to fail.
Fabinho is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in world football, but his form this season has led some to question whether he is past his prime.
The Brazilian was one of Jurgen Klopp’s signings who took Liverpool to a new level by winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020.
Just a few months ago, Liverpool were on the verge of an unprecedented quadruple and ultimately opted for an FA Cup and League Cup double, but their awful start to the Premier League campaign has had people poking holes. on your side.
One of the biggest areas under scrutiny is his midfield, as many former players and pundits suggest this is the root cause of his offensive and defensive problems.
And Richards finds it “quite strange” to see Fabinho fall from grace as the former Manchester City defender wonders if the Liverpool midfielder’s legs are gone.
Richard’s account bbc sport: “It’s pretty weird, isn’t it? We talked about Fabinho about 18 months ago as the best defensive midfielder in world football.
“It seems like he can do all the same things except for his legs. You know when you’re a midfielder and your legs are just beginning to walk and you can’t move around the pitch as much as you’d like, that’s what it looks like.
“I think sometimes it’s difficult when he plays against (Fabio) Carvalho and Harvey Elliott, two other attacking players, when normally he had a Henderson next to him or a Thiago next to him.”
Jamie Carragher also recently criticized Fabinho and called the Brazilian a ghost” in your 2-1 loss at home to Leeds United at the weekend.
Carragher said: “A big problem is the midfield. Teams get into the back four too easily. It’s so open and so disorganized. It should have been 4-0 after 20 minutes [against Brighton].
“The midfield is not in the position that the midfielders should be in, the teams are early in the back. They expect it late, not early.
“People said that midfield would be a problem for Liverpool. Fabinho was miles off the pace.”
Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez has also singled out the midfield as a problem for Klopp’s side, but yesterday, speaking to The Times, he expressed sympathy for Fabinho.
Benítez said: “Fabinho is a player who needs solutions around him. He is not like Thiago Alcântara, that he can pass to the left, to the right, to the front or wherever, because he can see all those things. But then Thiago cannot challenge like Fabinho or offer the same balance.
“In Fabinho’s case, the solution is to have players around him in the right positions so he can give them the ball. In this case he makes fewer mistakes and can continue to protect central defenders. He needs a little bit of confidence right now, but he’s still a great player.”
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