I'm the same with Keita.
Fabinho | Al-Ittihad player
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Yup I think the english game despite becoming more european still takes adapting too. Only the absolute best of the best come over and kill in it from the start. Players like Salah and KDB already had that experience despite not playing too much. Keita looks a decent player, next season will tell the true story of whether he's gonna cut it or not. I think he'll establish himself in three with Fabinho and one of Henderson or Wijnaldum as Milners legs start to go.
Yikes! Now we also have rival fan love-ins
ABUCafe
ABUCafe
I am kinda expecting our midfield for a lot of games to be Fabinho, Keita and a flashy no. 10. This thing with two 8s in front of a holding player was never really the plan.
Milner I reckon will go back to Leeds if they are promoted.
Nah a lot of us wanted Fabinho.
He was a lot of peoples number one signing the year Monaco had that great season in the UCL, seemed there must have been a reason why he didn't move that summer and why when he did move 12 months later than expected only Liverpool wanted him - the question marks seemed to be justified when he barely even made the bench for the first few months of this season but no what do ya know he's a brilliant as we all thought all along
And just look at how Coutinho is now playing. I know many on here dislike the guy but Klopp is a world class manager who makes everyone who plays for him better (except maybe Karius
).Nah, not necessarily. Michu killed it from the start. Payet killed it from the start. However, I can understand the pressure is far bigger at the top 6 sides than Swansea/West Ham (ironically, West Ham ended up fifth in 15/16).
This guy is unreal.
He is the glue of this Liverpool side.
He is the glue of this Liverpool side.
That was one of the best midfield performances I've seen in years. One man general
Incredible how Fabinho and Robinson barely played a game in their first 4 months of joining Liverpool and then turned to the players they turned into.
Incredible how Fabinho and Robinson barely played a game in their first 4 months of joining Liverpool and then turned to the players they turned into.
I believe that is very much by design. You learn the role and then you’re released into the side. Ox very similar but injuries affected his progress.
Reminds of Vidic and Evra to be honest. Certainly not unheard of.
He wasn't good enough for United, remember? Like Mane, Robertson, Van Dijk and numerous others.
Fabinho would be our best midfielder hands down including Paul Pogba. Fabinho turns up on the regular, not one in ten games. Pogba on top form is the better player, of course, but it means feck all when he doesnt turn up.
Wasn’t good enough for united apparently, so we went and got Fred ffs
He really was amazing today. Talk about a big game performance.
Always believed in him.
I believe the club were after him, but Mourinho wanted his boy Matic at the club. Another reason why you should keep managers distant from recruitment.
Managers are never distant from recruitment, they’re literally the ones building the team. Maybe a board with footballing knowledge would’ve been able to discuss and debate the options rather than just going with Mourinho’s choice, however - but the manager will have some sort of influence.
Absolutely disgusting when you think about it.
He did pretty well today but is pretty overrated. Liverpools midfield is made up of brutes who only know how to win the ball back and give it to their attackers and full back who do the real work. Fabinho would also struggle in this united side because we lack the quality in certain areas.
Dont you guys find it strange that Liverpool struggled till they brought on creative midfielders against us last week?
Dont you guys find it strange that Liverpool struggled till they brought on creative midfielders against us last week?
What are you on about. Fabinho plays in a functional side and has had shite performances, including against us.
He's a big part of a very strong spine hence why Liverpool are challenging on all fronts. Allison - Van Dijk - Fabinho - Firmino. 4 world class players in their positions which is then supplemented by further quality in terms of their full backs who are the creative forces and their other wide attackers in Salah and Mane who create and score.
Fabinho is aided by two players in front of him who work like machines in terms of pressing and doing the general dirty work for the team.
He's an aggressive player who will win a lot of duels in the air and has good distribution with his passing (particularly finding the wide areas where they create most of their chances).
A brilliant player but not necessarily one who would've changed the fortunes of Manchester United. He would've solved an problematic area for you, but you'd still require player of quality around him to get the best from him (players making runs, full backs overlapping, midfielders pressing around him etc.)
Fabinho is aided by two players in front of him who work like machines in terms of pressing and doing the general dirty work for the team.
He's an aggressive player who will win a lot of duels in the air and has good distribution with his passing (particularly finding the wide areas where they create most of their chances).
A brilliant player but not necessarily one who would've changed the fortunes of Manchester United. He would've solved an problematic area for you, but you'd still require player of quality around him to get the best from him (players making runs, full backs overlapping, midfielders pressing around him etc.)
He’s a good player, I wanted him from Monaco but Jose went for one of his guys in Matic. But I don’t think he’s close to what Fernandinho at City has been in recent years.
Couldn't get a good river today for our game so was forced to watch the dippers. Fabinho was utterly class.
No doubt if he had come to us he'd be like Fred though. South Americans and especially Brazilians don't work out for us.
No doubt if he had come to us he'd be like Fred though. South Americans and especially Brazilians don't work out for us.
Not really. They were without Salah, United are one of the best defensive sides in the league, at home, and TAA had a bad game
Ole's defensive plan for that game was near perfect. He might not be much of an attacking manager but he seems to know how to set up to defend
He was good against a very poor spurs side. Not even in the same class as KANTE.
He's quickly becoming an important player for them. I do wonder about Keita and just what he'll bring to the team. I've read a few bits and pieces recently about Liverpool going for three hardworking players in the middle who break up the play and move the ball on to the attackers, rather than a creative or attacking type, like Gerrard. I can see what Fabinho brings to their side as he is more or less doing that now, but Keita is not really built for that purpose. I think he'll struggle to get minutes with the way that they're currently set up.
Keita should actually be the prototypical eight in Klopp's system. He'd always preferred one technically excellent midfielder that can carry the ball forward and is creative. Gündogan was one of the best performing center mid in the world before his injury and was doing exactly the same what is expected from Keita IMO. His biggest problem is that he loses the ball way to much when they are building up, his passing and also dribbling have been extremely hit or miss. Someone like prime Modric/Silva would be the final missing piece in their system.
Your comment shows that you don't know Fabinho at all, is FAR from being a brute, he can also organize the plays and give ridiculous passes, on top of being great at recovering the ball.
His passing is extremely underrated, it’s always accurate and almost always allows the receiver an extra second.
What stood out to me was his energy and mopping up the ball, he was a big reason Tottenham couldn't get out of their own third. You still relied on the fbs to get balls to Salah and Mane. Even Lovren was pinging balls out wide to the fullbacks who would then cross. Not saying he's not a great passer, but he was a bit more subdued regarding that in this match
Oh yeah that’s definitely his biggest strength, however there was a 10 minute period in the second half where he was just playing lovely diagonals left to right eventually culminating in the Henderson goal. We do rely on the FB’s and until one of keita and Ox push their way in it’ll be the case.
He was the one that allowed us to turn the screw on them. Our midfield moved 10 yards higher up the pitch and Fabinho just kept playing the same game and dominated midfield, unaffected by the compression of the pitch. Just seems to play the game at a different pace to everyone else around him.
I can see Klopp persisting with the industrious midfielders as it's served us well over the past 18 months or so. Having AOC & Keita as options off the bench are ideal if our fullbacks are being nullified. Their energy & creativity will give the opposition different problems in the closing stages of a match.
It’s whether Keita or Ox can get as good defensively and tactically so they can enhance what we have whilst also providing all the other qualities the others do. Keita in particular I feel stands a good chance of doing this as his numbers at Leipzig both sides of the ball were exceptional and he’ll add a different dimension to our build up play. If he can get fully integrated and stay injury free he can be immense, but the latter is the key part. He’s only shown glimpses with us so far.
I mean Henderson whilst very good is actually probably the weakest of the midfielders we have, however the leadership energy and intensity he provides is greater than all of them, he’s second to none in that regard. It’s away from home against the big sides I feel that we actually need more ammunition on the pitch from midfield as the top teams force our Fbs to defend more often so having a different method of building play is a way to combat this and we have 3 midfielders plus Shaqiri in the squad if we switch to formation to accommodate him to do this. We just haven’t seen much of it largely due to injuries those four just haven’t been able to keep themselves fit and then when they are it’s hard to win a place in a team that wins as often as we do.
Right now it’s usually going to be Fabinho + 2 and Wijnaldum is the best we have in the squad tactically in both halves which leaves one spot, if keita can make that his own we could go up a level. Our game like you said currently relies heavily on the full backs so we have little ball progression in midfield and there’s sometimes a disconnect between the midfield and attack which leaves the front three isolated. I’d go as far as to say we’ve sacrificed their individual games for the benefit of the team. It’s why you won’t see Salah play like he did before in 17/18 because he’s never going to be in those positions constantly fed like he was. But keita Ox and possibly Lallana may help in that regard.
Either way it’s a nice problem to have really, improving an already great team.
Nope I watch him very closely. I’m not saying he isn’t a good player but is very overrated. He wouldn’t be so effective in a team that isn’t Liverpool or city. Your assessment of him is correct other than he isn’t a very good passer. He is Very good defensively and can recover the ball quickly. It’s a trait you could find in players like Ndidi which is very common for their position. The problem though is he doesn’t offer much attacking wise which is fine for the way Liverpool are set up. His role is just to break up plays and give the ball to more intelligent players.
right now we are living in a time where industrious midfielders are very beneficial because most teams want to press and play with the ball. That is why Liverpool’s setup is very effective because it punishes teams thy like to play football.
Fabinho is a terrific passer. You clearly haven't watched him play much.
Fabinho was always going to be a certain hit. It was quite the joke that we never bothered bringing him in even a year before Liverpool swooped in.
Yep for once the CAF was right about a player (it doesn't happen often). We all saw him at Monaco, all wanted him here and not only does our biggest rival go and get him he goes and be's outstanding week in week out for them
Gutting
From the matches I have watched I wouldn't call him 'terrific'. He's certainly a better passer than your average DM but he's not on the level of great passers around, certainly not at the level where you can depend upon him to be the playmaker from the deep. That is a position Liverpool are lacking in right now, someone who can hold the ball under pressure and create from deep.
Actually, if Liverpool can find a great RB. TTA would be a great candidate for that role, his long range passing is better than any other player in the Liverpool squad and he's technically strong. Though he would need some better defensive nous to be able to play deeper.