Was selling Fabinho wise?
As the Brazilian’s transfer teeters, it’s worth a look as to whether it should have been sanctioned in the first place.
On May 28th, 2018, Liverpool completed one of their most surprising transfers of the Klopp era. Without so much as a whisper from any ‘transfer gurus’ or ‘in the know’ accounts, Fabinho was signed from Monaco. Easing the pain of a gutting Champions League final defeat a few nights before.
Since then, he’s been Liverpool’s best midfielder for four years as he won the lot, before suffering a massive slump last season. Poor showings in 22/23 prompted Liverpool to accept a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad. Perhaps recouping their outlay at this stage in his career is the prudent decision — I’d disagree.
His drop off was in tandem with teammates
The importance of Fabinho’s presence as ‘the lighthouse’ in a team that won every honour could not be understated. Surely it’s worth delving deeper into the reasons for his lack of form last season, rather than simply ridding themselves of one of the stalwarts of their success?
Firstly, according to Infogoal.com, his statistics last season were almost identical to 21/22 — Liverpool’s best season under Klopp. In the Premier League, playing roughly the same amount of time, he attempted more tackles and passes, with his success rate improving in both; though he received a few more yellow cards, it’s hard to spot his flailing form in the statistics. This is due to the fact he had more defending to do, as he was playing in a worse side.
But that begs the question, why were Liverpool bad last season? It certainly wasn’t because of Fabinho.
Liverpool were bad last season as they restructured their attacking line up to accommodate Darwin Nunez. As an out-and-out 9, Darwin was unable to offer the defensive solidity a false 9 provides. Firmino and Mané (through the middle) were famed for their ability to effectively add another body into midfield, the reds lost that, and their press became ineffective. Thrusting the issue of midfield personnel was further into the spotlight.
To accompany this issue were injuries to Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool’s best 8. In 21/22, Liverpool’s win rate with the Spaniard dropped from 80.8% to 67.6% without him. When he picked up an injury in the first game of last season, Liverpool were immediately in trouble. They were left relying on teenagers and veterans to fulfil a midfield role even more demanding than usual for a Klopp side. With this in mind, how could Fabinho have succeeded?
The lack of ready-made alternatives
Of course, he did look leggy last season, alarmingly so for a 29-year-old. But going into this summer, replacing Fabinho was not on the Liverpool agenda. If Aurelien Tchouameni was available, or Caicedo wasn’t heading for Chelsea, the equation would change. But a lack of clear alternatives in the market mean Liverpool should stick with their European Cup and Premier-League-title winning defensive midfielder, looking to acquire someone to assist him, rather than replace.
Frankly, no player should holding down a position for an entire season by themselves. Gini Wijnaldum previously offered a solid alternative in the defensive midfield position, Henderson — also sold — had good spells in the role, at times.
The pending arrival of Romeo Lavia would be perfect as a rotational option for the Brazilian. Someone for him to share the burden with and eventually pass the torch on to, but not an immediate replacement. As good as Lavia is, a team with Liverpool’s ambitions shouldn’t be relying on a 19-year-old to knit a title challenging midfield together.
By allowing Fabinho to leave, Liverpool will leave themselves just as vulnerable as last season. While the release of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner and Keita, who only managed around 2300 minutes between them, seems fair. Fabinho was Liverpool’s most used midfielder last season, with 3500.
A late recovery in form last season
It’s worth noting that Liverpool were able to string together 7 wins and 2 draws out of their last 9 in 2022/23. They were back to their best for the final quarter of the season, with Fabinho in the side. When the young Bajcetic impressed, the reds showed glimpses of their former selves. When Gakpo settled into the false-9 position, the issues that plagued performances dwindled. 2022/23 was a stop-start season, and one that offered many harsh lessons. The need to replace Fabinho is not one of them.
His departure, without an adequate replacement, in tandem with Henderson’s (2500 minutes), could set the Reds up for another disastrous season. This is not to disparage the talents of the youngsters Liverpool have at their disposal, they are excellent players.
While Alan Hansen was wrong for saying “You can’t win anything with kids”, that United team wasn’t competing with this City team. Fabinho looks set to go, and this could be a huge mistake.
