Micah Richards has claimed that it’s ‘quite strange’ what has happened to Liverpool midfielder Fabinho this season amid claims that he is playing like he’s 36, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
The 29-year-old is going through his worst period in Liverpool colours and Richards added, only 18 months ago, he was seen as ‘the best defensive-minded midfielder in the world’.
Well, Fabinho is far from that now because, on occasions, it seems as though Jurgen Klopp isn’t happy with the work he has produced because he has found himself on the bench, including against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
The Brazil international started Liverpool’s defeat to Leeds United over the weekend, before being hooked off on the hour mark.
With effectively a dead-rubber against Napoli in the Champions League taking place on Tuesday night, it will be interesting to see if Klopp tries anything different, but then again, given some players are injured and half-fit, then he probably can’t.
But when former Manchester City defender Micah Richards was told that Fabinho is ‘declining’ and playing like a 36-year-old, he issued the following response.
“It’s quite strange, actually, isn’t it?!” said Richards. “I think, we were talking about Fabinho about 18 months ago being the best defensive-midfielder in world football.
“He can do all the same things apart from the legs. You know when you are a midfielder and your legs just start to go and you can’t get around the pitch as much as you would like? That’s what it seems to me.
“I think it’s difficult at times when he has played Carvalho and Harvey Elliott, two more offensive players next to him. When, normally, he has had a Henderson next to him, then Thiago as well. They have got the balance a little bit better.”
LIVERPOOL’S MIDFIELD PROBLEMS
Fabinho isn’t the only one struggling in the middle of the park this season, Jordan Henderson has had his fair share of problems also, whilst James Milner has probably been used far too often.
The injury to Juventus loanee Arthur Melo hasn’t helped matters, but that’s what happens when you leave it until the last minute to sign a midfielder.
Then there are players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, who haven’t just progressed, but are also injury-prone on top of it.
And whilst Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho are youngsters, they can’t be relied on too much, so it leaves the Reds asking more questions.
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