Pundit Dietmar Hamann has said that the decline of Fabinho is the primary reason behind why Liverpool have struggled defensively this season, after their 3-1 defeat to Brentford.
There has been an undeniable dip in the £180,000-a-week star’s performances.
Even as recently as last season, Fabinho was put alongside the likes of Rodri and Casemiro as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.
However, it would be unwise to put the Liverpool mainstay in such conversations anymore.
Last season as well, there were moments in which Fabinho looked far from his imperious best.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s men were a well-oiled machine in the truest sense, which meant that his flaws did not come to light as much.
With Liverpool now sitting in 6th place in the Premier League table in what has been a nightmarish campaign, the ex-Monaco anchor has shown signs of being past his sell-by date.
Much like other world-class names such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, the 29-year-old looks a shadow of his former self.
Pundit Dietmar Hamann blames Fabinho for Liverpool struggling defensively after Brentford defeat
Pundit Dietmar Hamann has singled out Fabinho as being the main man behind why Liverpool have been a shambles defensively this season, after their latest hammering to Brentford.
“You depend on players being in form and the main culprit, I’d say is probably Fabinho because he’s not been that defensive shield he has been over the last few years.”
“When the back four [at Liverpool] haven’t got any protection, then obviously, you’ll give away chances.”
“They’ve got two very offensive full-backs, we know that so it’s even more important that the middle is shut and the middle is solid and Fabinho hasn’t been the same for the last 6-7 months”, the pundit told talkSPORT.
Harsh to solely blame the Liverpool defensive midfielder
There is no hiding the fact that Fabinho is having a shambolic season and he must take partial ownership for how poor Liverpool have been as a defensive unit.
But the same goes for other big-names, such as Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
While a defensive midfielder like Fabinho does anchor the back four, he does need the Reds to defend cohesively as a unit, which has not been the case.
Keeping that in mind, it is harsh for pundit Dietmar Hamannn to solely blame the Liverpool star.
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