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Rio Ferdinand believes that a lower defensive line helped Fabinho impress for Liverpool against Ajax.
The Brazilian, who is naturally a defensive midfielder, replaced the injured Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win against Ajax.
The 26-year-old was very impressive alongside Joe Gomez, as the Reds kept a much-needed clean sheet in Amsterdam.
In the latter stages of the first half, Fabinho made a sensational clearance from the goal line after David Neres threw Adrián to hold the score at 1-0 after Nicolas Tagliafico’s own goal.
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The versatile Liverpool player took the center-back position earlier in the season in a 2-0 win at Chelsea, this time alongside van Dijk, with Gomez and Joel Matip absent that day.
The former Monaco player also returned to defense to draw 0-0 with Bayern Munich in Liverpool’s glorious 2018/19 Champions League campaign.
He now has quite a bit of experience in all four defenders, having also played a few games as a right-back for Monaco, but Ferdinand, who played in the central half, believes he needs to consistently show this this season.
With van Dijk expected to miss most of the season, he should at least have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
Ferdinand told BT Sport: “And he’s probably been the best player in all those games (in which he played central defender), especially Bayern and Chelsea games, he was probably the standout defender both times.
“This guy is a first-rate operator, he played as a right-back for a lot of the time when he was in Monaco, so he knows how to defend.
“He will be judged over the course of the season, not by a couple of performances as a central defender, and now he has the opportunity to play there for a sustained amount of time and he will have to consistently prove it. .
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“(In the) first half, he did two or three challenges on the edge of the box to stop the attacks and he has read the game very well today, but it is about him and Gomez starting to form a partnership.”
He added: “It is a difficult situation, the problem he has is that he is filling the boots of one of his best defenders in the world, if not the best, at the moment.”
“It’s a lot of pressure, not just for him, but for Gomez as well; he’s a true defender and he will be seen and expected to lead those four now.
“Can you do it? That is the question you are going to ask yourself.
“What helped him is that they are not playing that crazy offside rule, if they take a step back and give it a little more time, the four behind it seems more comfortable.
“You have that time to evaluate and see things instead of being too far ahead of all your momentum going forward.
“He has a better chance of showing real quality in that position.”
With Matip potentially out of Saturday’s visit to Sheffield United, Fabinho and Gomez could be chosen again by Jurgen Klopp.
Then for the Reds, it’s another Champions League clash, with Midtjylland arriving at Anfield on Tuesday.
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