Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk was frustrated with Fabinho’s positioning during a training drill yesterday.
As seen on LFCTV’s Inside Training video, Van Dijk couldn’t believe where his teammate was standing during a ‘rondo’ exercise.
Instead of picking up the space, Fabinho moved towards Roberto Firmino, removing the option for a pass. Van Dijk wasn’t having it. “Fabio, why are you standing there brother?” asked the 31-year-old.
“I’m with Bobby!” laughed Fabinho, “He could play with me.”
Fabinho still shaking off injury rustiness
Although it was a light-hearted moment, there was also some real frustration in Van Dijk’s voice. Liverpool take their rondo’s very seriously, and the centre-back wasn’t happy with his teammate’s movement.
It’s just a small moment, but it does highlight what we’ve seen over the opening couple of games of this season: Fabinho isn’t quite on it.
The Brazilian was at fault for the goal Crystal Palace scored on Monday night. In a move which is usually bread and butter for him, he failed to stop Eberechi Eze progressing with the ball.
That allowed the Palace man all the time in the world to pick a perfect through-ball for Wilfried Zaha to score from.
It was the low point of a disappointing half for Liverpool’s no.3. Often described as Liverpool’s lighthouse’, he looked all at sea at times a Anfield.
In a way, this is very understandable. The 28-year-old was injured towards the end of last season. His first game back was the Champions League final, in which he played relatively well.
But as history has shown us, Fabinho is generally a player who takes a little time to get going after injury. Despite playing throughout pre-season, Monday was only his third competitive game since the start of May.
His form is a slight concern as Liverpool are desperately reliant on him. But since his £44m move in 2018, Fabinho has been one of The Reds’ most important players. Expect him to be back to his best once he gets more minutes in his legs.
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