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Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum believes Fabinho’s performance as a makeshift center-back is a sign that they can get by without Virgil Van Dijk.
The Brazilian international was man of the match in their 1-0 win over Ajax in their first Champions League game in Amsterdam, only his third clean sheet in their last 14 matches.
In the last four games, the containment midfielder has fallen in central defense and Liverpool have yet to concede against players like Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea’s Timo Werner.
Manager Jurgen Klopp will hope that Joel Matip has recovered from a minor problem so he can face Sheffield United on Saturday night, but Fabinho’s performance suggests he will be a more than adequate alternative option.
‘Fabinho is a great center-back. The games he’s played there, you can see he’s comfortable in that position and he’s done well every time, ‘Wijnaldum said.
“We have not conceded any goals when he has played as center back, so it is a good sign. It’s great that he can play in different positions and he’s doing something good for the team. ”
Van Dijk, who was out for several months with a knee ligament injury requiring surgery, sent a good luck message to the team before the game, but his teammate in the Netherlands admits that there is not much football talk between the pair now. .
The center-back may have seen the game, but has not posted anything on social media about the performance and Wijnaldum said it was more important for his friend to focus on his recovery.
‘Virgil sent a message, he wished us good luck in the WhatsApp group chat,’ added the Dutchman.
“For me I don’t think this is the right time to talk to Virgil about soccer, because soccer is not important right now.
‘I think for him and me when we talk together, the most important thing is his rehabilitation and stuff.
“So when I talk to him, it’s more about Virgil Van Dijk, more about life than football.
It may change in a few months because then he will be much more in his rehabilitation, but it is not the right time to talk about football with Virgil because at this moment is not a good time for him and it is not the time to remind him of these things.
Liverpool’s victory was a confidence booster, as they had lost eight of their previous 14 away games in Europe.
In fact, it was the first time they had won their inaugural Champions League match since beating Marseille in 2008, having lost at Napoli in the last two seasons and drawn against Spartak Moscow in Russia before that.
‘It was good, we showed that we are ready for the games. We had some problems, but we controlled most of the game against a strong team, ”said Wijnaldum.
“They are a good team, so starting the Champions League campaign with a win is good. We lost to Napoli last season, so it’s better than that.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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