Thierry Henry feels that Liverpool’s Fabinho was exposed due to a lack of pace in central defence.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, which was broadcast on Sky, Henry suggested that moving Fabinho back into midfield was a logical step for Jurgen Klopp.
The Brazilian has now played in his natural position in both of Liverpool’s last two games, where they have kept clean sheets.
And while Henry understands why Klopp was keen to try Fabinho out of the back, he feels that the experiment did not work.
“It became logical because of how Fabinho was performing at the back. I’m not saying he was bad, but at times he got caught because of his lack of pace,” he said.
“He was trying to anticipate like he plays as a midfielder, but sometimes you need to read the game a bit more at the back.
“At one point the choice was to leave him in midfield, but you can only say that now. If Fabinho had played well at the back you would have said ‘what a brilliant idea’.”
Henry’s comments may actually be slightly harsh on Fabinho.
There was a stage where Fabinho looked Liverpool’s most assured defender, but his presence has been badly missed in midfield.
Already it is clear that Liverpool are a stronger team with Fabinho playing higher up the field, with their results taking a sharp upturn recently.
The Reds’ 1-0 win over Wolves last night keeps them right in the hunt for the Champions League places, although they do have some work to do to catch the top four.
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