Starting Liverpool career on the bench was not easy – Fabinho

Fabinho has admitted the early stages of his Liverpool have been difficult following an extended spell on the bench. 

The Brazilian joined Liverpool from AS Monaco in a deal worth upwards of £40m in the summer and was expected to go straight into the first-team.

However, Jurgen Klopp has opted against using him for much of the campaign so far; until last week Fabinho had made just one start, against Chelsea in the EFL Cup.

But the midfielder is finally beginning to settle having played 90 minutes in consecutive matches against Red Star Belgrade and Cardiff City at the end of October.

And Fabinho says his recent inclusion in the first-team has been good for him.

“I’m very happy to play my second match in a row as first-choice, played the full match. It is very good for me,” he told ESPN Brasil.

“This moment to adapt, it hasn’t been easy – many times you are out, there were many times I wasn’t [picked].

“But I tried to learn from all this, tried to give my best during practice. The coaches were very nice to me, they didn’t let me get down. I worked to be well prepared.

“[I] got the opportunity last Wednesday, I believe I [had] a good match, and [against Cardiff ] I believe I helped the team at the midfield.

“The moment is good, being called has helped too. So I’m very happy, I hope I can keep it. I know the rate here is very high, you have to always try to keep a good performance, and in our team we have a lot of options in the midfield.

“Of course it’s not possible to be always called, but whenever the coach needs me I want to be ready for it.”

Liverpool’s depth in midfield

Klopp has a number of options to choose from in central midfield, which is perhaps why Fabinho hasn’t been getting much of a look-in up until now.

James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum have all played more regularly, but Fabinho is already bettering some of his teammates’ statistics.

Of those four players, only Henderson (71.29) has completed more passes per 90 minutes than Fabinho in the Premier League, and only Milner (1.58) has created more chances than Fabinho (0.81).

What’s more, Fabinho has won more Premier League duels per 90 minutes (5.68) than any of his fellow central midfielders at Liverpool.

The Reds face Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday.

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