Liverpool took another step towards clinching the Premier League title at the weekend when they beat Southampton 4-0 at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side are now 22 points clear at the top of the division, but the German claimed they were “not even close to being perfect” (as per BBC Sport).
Despite the convincing scoreline, it appears some of the fans agree with Klopp’s assessment and have singled out one player in particular for his sub-par performance.
Fabinho is the reason Gomez and Van Dijk have to defend….he has been awful
— lllll lll lllllll l (@dGhost_) February 1, 2020
Fabinho has been awful since hes come back, not sure why hes bern given a start here
— ArtzeAlex (@ArtzeAlex) February 1, 2020
Fabinho needs to be whipped at half time. He was awful against Shrewsbury and is worse today. Drop Henderson into the 6 and bring on Kieta. #LFC
— David Fitzmaurice (@Fitzie77) February 1, 2020
Probably would hook Fabinho at the half, world class player but he’s so rusty it’s unreal, passings awful and somehow offers less protection than no holding midfielder, we are lucky to be level #LIVSOU
— hobnob (@hobnobpeter) February 1, 2020
I’ll tell you what- for that performance today, take a few weeks off.
— Latinx Halftime Enthusiast (@podslurp) February 1, 2020
Need you to get back to full sharpness soon Fab! You’ve been awful past few games (understandably) ??
— AR (@abhz_007) February 1, 2020
What do we think?
The Brazilian may have looked rusty at the weekend in what was his first start since his absence through injury, and the supporters were well within their rights to highlight it. The 26-year-old has been limited to just 12 starts in the Premier League so far this season, meaning he’s only made the starting eleven in 48% of the Reds’ league fixtures.
Signed for £40.5m in July 2018, Fabinho is now valued at £63m according to Transfermarkt.co.uk and has been largely impressive during his time at Anfield. Therefore, his dip in form could be attributed to a lack of sharpness. Liverpool are flying at the moment and it feels strange discussing negatives after a 4-0 victory, but the supporters clearly felt strongly enough to make their feelings known on social media.