Jurgen Klopp will want Fabinho in his starting XI long-term but he has to get his return correct. Getting it wrong would upset the brilliant rhythm Liverpool have.
Quickly put, Fabinho is one of – if not the – best holding midfielders in the world. He can do pretty much everything you want in that role and he does it consistently.
It’s not clear as to why but Liverpool are a lot better defensively without him, though. It doesn’t make too much sense on the face of it but it’s at the point where statistically, Fabinho shouldn’t be in the side.
Jordan Henderson has been a revelation, stepping up and leading Liverpool from a clean-sheet record of two in 19 games under Fabinho to nine in 11 in his absence.
However, Fabinho does need to get back into the side. While Henderson has stepped up and Gini Wijnaldum has gotten even better, the third midfield spot is still up for grabs.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has missed chances. Adam Lallana looked poor against Manchester United. James Milner and Naby Keita are out with injuries.
And so it remains that Liverpool need someone to fill in on that right-hand side of midfield. And the best-suited player for it is Henderson.
In fact, despite the recent run of fantastic results, Liverpool’s best midfield three is still Fabinho, Henderson, and Wijnaldum. All three need to be in the side.
But how does Klopp handle Fabinho on his return without upsetting things? The side are playing so well, particularly in defence, and you can easily throw things off by moving players around. Can you really move Henderson away from a spot that has seen so much success for him and the team?
Yes, unfortunately. Life would be so much easier if someone had made that right-hand spot their own but they simply haven’t. Instead, Klopp will need to risk upsetting the side’s rhythm to get Fabinho back in.
Get it wrong and the team will regress. Get it right, though, and we could see an even better Liverpool.
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