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Pep Lijnders affectionately calls him Liverpool’s ‘beacon’ – such is his ability to turn his head and know exactly where each player is on the field, but Fabinho was not the only candidate for the number six role at Anfield when Liverpool devised his shortlist. .
With some signatures, there is an element of luck in how they occur, along with, of course, hours of detailed data exploration, planning, and searching.
When Liverpool signed with Fabinho, that was certainly the case.
Mahmoud Dahoud and Jorginho were players Liverpool discussed extensively behind the scenes in the years leading up to the arrival of the Brazilian from Ligue 1.
Chelsea won Jorginho’s career with Manchester City also among the teams that were interested, as the Italian wanted to bond with Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, a coach he knew well from his time in Napoli, although that did not last long.
Liverpool had also long been linked with the deeply lying game player.
Dahoud, meanwhile, switched to Borussia Dortmund, where he didn’t light up, in 2017, the summer after Liverpool bonded heavily with him.
The man Borussia Monchengladbach replaced him with, Denis Zakaria, has been linked to a move to Liverpool in recent times, perhaps proving that statistical analysis between the Gladbach and Reds scouts remains consistent.
In the Analyzing Anfield podcast, Josh Williams and David Hughes discussed the factors that made Jorginho and Dahoud past targets, and how Fabinho represents a combination, and an improvement, on the pair: the ideal man for the Klopp system.
Williams began: “Klopp had identified a number six that could pass the ball and would not be pressured.
Liverpool eventually signed Fabinho, but these two linked players was interesting.
“None of them have Fabinho’s physicality or height.
“Jorginho is a bit like a coach on the field sometimes in the way that he leads the players and he’s quite tactical, but he can be intimidated.”
“He is not fast at all and he is not tall, he is a bit idealistic and very nice.”
The Brazilian-born Italian international is now Chelsea’s vice-captain under Frank Lampard, and he certainly has his qualities.
But Fabinho offers more on paper in terms of being able to break the play.
Hughes added: “Jorginho is good on the ball but for me, he lacks a bit of defensive robustness.”
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“But I noticed that he had a better rate of success in defensive duels than Fabinho this year.”
“For me, those are the data that lie a bit, just by looking at the game, I think Jorginho is much more susceptible to attack than Fabinho.”
“I wonder if his numbers aren’t that good because he often defends in the transition when it’s hardest.”
“Jorginho needs the team to develop around him, while Fabinho can be put on role number six and prosper without any adjustments necessary.”
Neither Jorginho nor Dahoud are as physical or strong at tackle as Fabinho, but the Brazilian has the same ball skills as the two.
There is also an argument to say that Jorginho and Dahoud would have to play in pairs under Klopp, such is the weight of responsibility that the role demands, since Jordan Henderson has discovered it at times, while Fabinho can do the job perfectly alone.
Either way, it’s safe to say that Liverpool got the right man for the job in the end.
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