Liverpool have been utterly decimated by injuries this season. The Reds have seen a string of first team stars ruled out due to hectic scheduling and plain bad luck. As a result we’ve had to make do with academy stars and makeshift options. Fabinho has vowed to improve in the absence of Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool injury crisis
The Reds started the season with just three senior centre backs in the first team squad.
The decision to sell Dejan Lovren without replacing him was seen as a gamble.
The gamble backfired magnificently. As it stands we are without a single senior centre back.
Fabinho is set to lineup alongside Rhys Williams and/or Nat Phillips in the next few weeks.
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The Brazilian has been solid at the back this season but we’ve felt his absence in the midfield.
Fabinho on Van Dijk responsibility
Fabby is one of the best one-on-one defenders in the world.
You simply cannot get past him.
Despite his pure defensive talent there are some aspects of centre back play he still has to work on and he intends on doing so.
Fabinho has said he’ll improve in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, telling the club site:
“The manager had prepared me to play in this position, so it was not a surprise when I had to play there because of the injuries and I am happy because it’s worked out good so far.
“The manager has tried to help with small things, positional things or sometimes when to play a long ball or step forward with it.
“Things like this – the small details – so I can get better. He doesn’t talk too much about it, he has just tried to give me the confidence to play the position.
“The boys have helped me a lot and now I am used to playing in this position, so I have more confidence to play there. I just want to help the team to play good football and be as good as possible.”
What RTK has to say
The longer Fabinho fills in for Virgil van Dijk the better he’ll become as a centre back.
We don’t want him there forever, though.
The Brazilian is too good and too vital to our midfield to be consigned to the defence.
We need him breaking up play further up the pitch and distributing the ball in key areas.
Hopefully we’ll be back to his natural position by the end of the season.
