Fabinho impressed for Liverpool against Ajax in the Champions League, deputizing as Virgil van Dijk’s replacement in the heart of the defense.
Fabinho has made a name for himself, playing as a deep-lying midfielder at Monaco. The 26-year-old has often starred for Liverpool deep in the midfield.
However, the Brazilian’s versatility enables him to cover multiple roles in at the back, including a center-half position. That’s precisely where Jurgen Klopp opted to field Fabinho in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Fabinho exceeded expectations, producing a world-class performance to help Liverpool snatch a narrow 1-0 win over Erik ten Hag’s side.
An array of impressive moments at the Johan Cruyff Arena includes a stunning goal-line clearance.
Fabinho’s heroic display has earned him plaudits from his teammates, with Georginio Wijnaldum praising his fellow Reds colleague in the post-match interview.
“Fabinho does great as a centre-back,” Gini said, as relayed by Sky Sports.
“I think in the games that he’s played there, we didn’t concede goals.
“And also the way how he’s playing is like he’s [been] playing there his whole life.
“It’s great to have a player who can play in different positions. He does it well in all of them he plays, so it’s a good thing for the team.”
Virgil van Dijk’s dismal ACL injury suffered during the Merseyside Derby against Everton has raised concerns among the Reds supporters.
Everyone feared how Liverpool would cope without their star defender, but Fabinho has demonstrated he is able to live up to the task.
Jurgen Klopp has joined Wijnaldum in heaping praise on the versatile Brazilian.
“Fabinho can play in the position – he likes playing it actually.
“If I’d have asked him to play right-back, I don’t think he would have enjoyed it so much, but in our situation, at the moment, we have to keep these boys fit, and they can help us a lot.
“Fabinho, I’m not surprised that he played well there, or we would have thought about a different solution, even though that would have been very tricky.
“I’m really pleased tonight, pleased for him. It gave him confidence and helped us.
“He was good, but even he can play better!”
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