Stephen Warnock has revealed he has seen Jurgen Klopp “going mad” at Fabinho for playing too many long passes in his early Liverpool matches.
The Brazil international delivered an outstanding performance for Klopp’s side in Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League win against Manchester United after getting the nod to start in the midfield anchorman role ahead of Jordan Henderson.
Former Liverpool defender Warnock noted a change in Fabinho’s playing style compared to last month.
“During Liverpool’s draw at Arsenal at the start of November, I noticed Klopp was going mad about Fabinho’s long passing and was telling him to keep it simple,” Warnock told the BBC Sport website.
“Klopp just wanted him to pass it short, rather than trying ambitious balls and losing possession, and I wonder if the reason the 25-year-old was in and out of the team so much was because he had to learn about his manager’s way of playing.
“That is no longer the case – he has started six of Liverpool’s past eight Premier League games – and his passing against United was superb.”
OPINION
Fabinho was brilliant against United, just as he was eight days early when Liverpool hammered Bournemouth 4-0 with as convincing an away win as you could ever hope to see. As Warnock points out, the Brazilian’s role as the midfield anchorman is a specialist one, and critical to the team’s way of playing. Klopp has a history of gradually introducing signings into his team, and his use of Fabinho and Naby Keita, as well as Xherdan Shaqiri to an extent, is not too dissimilar to how Andy Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were incorporated into the first team following their summer-of-2017 arrivals. Fabinho is exciting because he offers defensive protection on a different level to anyone else in the Liverpool squad. He is quick across the turf, breaks up opponents’ moves with clever interceptions and blocks, and then swiftly launches attacks. His Patrick Vieira-style loping stride and gangly physique appears perfect for the central midfield battleground.