Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise upon club midfielder Fabinho and admits he no longer needs to tailor his formation to benefit the Brazilian.
The Reds have 10 games to secure their first Premier League title in 29 years, with just reigning champions Manchester City the only real obstacle.
“Fab” turnaround: Five things you need to know…
- Fabinho joined Liverpool last summer from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for a transfer fee of £39 million.
- The Brazilian didn’t make his Premier League debut until mid-October in Liverpool’s 1-0 win away to Huddersfield Town.
- The 25-year-old has made 26 appearances in all competitions for the Reds this season.
- He scored his only goal to date for Liverpool in the club’s 4-0 home victory against Newcastle United.
- Fabinho has played every minute of Liverpool’s last four Premier League games.
Klopp spoke with reporters prior to their Premier League clash against Merseyside rivals Everton this weekend. The German admitted that Fabinho took a bit of time to adapt to English football and the way Liverpool play.
However, Klopp insists his summer signing is now up to standard and is a key man for the Reds in this title-chasing season.
Klopp said: “He’s just feeling more natural in his position.
“He’s a very nice boy and a very smart boy as well. He wants to do everything right.
“A couple of things changed for him, intensity wise and tactical understanding as well.
“But he did not need that as much as he maybe thought. Sometimes you leave the boys a little bit to adapt naturally to it and not give them so much information. Some things happen then.
“There were these moments when we’d say ‘okay, help him, go back to playing two in the centre’ because he was used to that.
“Now, it’s no problem for him if we play with three, five, six or seven, whatever in the centre. That’s exactly what we wanted. That’s where we are with Fabinho now and hopefully it stays like that.”
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Drab to Fab
The progression of Fabinho has coincided with his attempts to adapt to the way Liverpool play.
Speaking back in October, Klopp hinted that Fabinho’s preferred starting position is alongside another holding midfielder in the middle of the park.
Following Liverpool’s 4-0 dismantling of Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, Klopp said: “The present for his birthday was not that he was in the starting line-up, it was that we played his favourite system with a double six (two holding midfielders).”
Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders has also previously discussed the development of Fabinho at the club, with his comments matching those of club boss Klopp.
Speaking last month, Lijnders said: “To adapt to the intensity of our play, that takes time. Not many can do it, and in certain positions it is easier than others.
“For him, to play in a midfield three as we did at the start of the season, we knew from the first second, we knew from the videos that it would take time.
“His impulse of defending forward is absolutely of the highest level. The question as a No. 6 is that you are moving more side to side than forwards. Then of course you have to adapt, and then we find a good solution to change to 4-4-2.
“And from that moment it helped so much, and then you saw the real Fabinho. Inside the ‘organised chaos’ that we want, that we like, he is like a lighthouse, he controls it and for me, you can still have the style of the gaffer and how we want to identify ourselves.”
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