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Jürgen Klopp’s summer decisions regarding his defensive options have been facing considerable scrutiny of late. A selection of fans and experts warned the Liverpool manager before the window closed that starting the new season with just three senior center-backs at his disposal represented a risk.
And while no one could have predicted the extent of the Reds ‘misfortune, the loss of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to long-term injuries has served to justify the cynics’ position somewhat. Still, if Klopp has been severely punished for his refusal to embrace pessimism in his transfer transactions, he has at least been emphatically vindicated on another front.
It turns out that the German was absolutely correct in believing that defensive midfielder Fabinho could be much more than just a “makeshift defender” this season. Although the 27-year-old has only recently made a more permanent move in Liverpool’s last four, this change in position has its roots in talks held in the summer of 2019.
It was then that, with AS Roma showing great interest in Dejan Lovren, Klopp spoke to his No. 3 about the possibility of playing at the back more often. In the end, Lovren decided to stay one more season at Anfield, playing his part in the success of the Premier League before leaving for Zenit St. Petersburg this summer.
That meant the only perception fans had of how Fabinho would fare in central defense after his promotion to fourth option at that spot in the summer came from a solo appearance against Bayern Munich in February 2019. Collaborating with Joel Matip in the absence of the suspended Van Dijk for a Champions League round of 16 first leg draw, the Brazilian played a key role as Liverpool maintained a vital clean sheet.
There was much talk before the game about the possibility of Bayern world leader Robert Lewandowski exploiting an unknown midfield pair. Ultimately, however, the Pole made only three touches in the area and managed a blocked shot in the frustrating 90 minutes at Anfield.
Fabinho’s performance in that game and his combination of quality and intelligence were enough to convince Klopp that he didn’t need to directly replace Lovren this summer.
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The ties to Schalke’s Ozan Kabak persisted late into the window, but they were always little more than attempts by agents to generate interest in their client. And, judging from Fabinho’s performances since he was thrown into defense as a result of his teammates’ injuries, it’s easy to see why his coach wasn’t overly concerned with his options.
In games the former Monaco player has started as a center-back in both the Premier League and Champions League, Liverpool have conceded just one goal in open play – Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s first goal in Fulham on Sunday.
The other two goals that have come in while Fabinho has been in the center of defense were penalties for Sheffield United and Brighton, which Reds fans will recall were awarded in rather controversial circumstances.
Of course, you are only as good as your last performance, and the Brazilian international’s credentials as a defenseman will face another severe test on Wednesday when Tottenham, the leader of the table, visit Anfield with the pair in the form of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in tow. What’s more, Fabinho could be forced to take on even greater responsibility if Matip does not recover from the problem that forced him to leave Craven Cottage for the weekend.
Still, regardless of how he fares, it seems doubts about Liverpool’s strength in depth at the rear will persist in the absence of Gomez and Van Dijk, while Klopp will remain under pressure to do business in January.
For now, though, at least the coach isn’t concerned about competition from his current first-choice partner, with Fabinho currently churning out flawless impressions of a world-class midfielder on a weekly basis.
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