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.
Liverpool complete formalities of Cody Gakpo transfer
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Liverpool have announced that they have successfully completed the formalities of Cody Gakpo‘s transfer from PSV Eindhoven.
A deal to bring the 23-year-old to Merseyside from the Eredivisie giants was announced before the start of the January window, and he has now officially become a Liverpool player.
Gakpo would have been eligible to make his debut for Liverpool in Monday’s Premier League defeat to Brentford, as the Reds were free to complete the paperwork on January 1 but failed to do so.
As a result, Gakpo missed out on that 3-1 loss, but he is now officially a member of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad and will be in contention for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“Cody Gakpo is officially a Liverpool player after the formalities of his transfer from PSV Eindhoven were successfully concluded on Tuesday,” a statement read.
“The 23-year-old is now formally registered with the Reds and able to begin work with his new club. A deal to sign Gakpo from PSV was announced on December 28.
“The Netherlands international could now come into contention for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.”
Liverpool are believed to have paid an initial £37m to sign Gakpo from PSV, and the fee could rise to £44m if all performance-related add-ons are hit.
The Dutchman, who was widely expected to sign for Manchester United, scored 55 goals and provided 50 assists in 159 appearances for PSV and also struck three goals for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup.
Gakpo arrives at Anfield with fellow wingers Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota sidelined with knee and calf injuries respectively, leaving Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabio Carvalho as Klopp’s only two options on the left-hand side.
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After penning his long-term contract with Liverpool until the summer of 2028, Gakpo spoke of his excitement at potentially making his debut for the Reds at Anfield, telling the club’s official website: “I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.
“I’m really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait. Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player.
“And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season. I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.”
Liverpool could still be active in the January transfer window amid persistent calls from fans to bring in a new midfielder, with Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Nunes all mentioned as possible targets.
However, Klopp has insisted that the Reds “cannot play Monopoly” in the winter market and must operate within their budgetary constraints.
Source: hitc.com
