hand-in-hand with the fact he gets fouled often. He’s a lynchpin at keeping possession for Liverpool and starting the attack from deep. For instance, against Manchester City, Liverpool were 1-0 down. Klopp brought Fabinho on, and within a matter of minutes, Liverpool had scored. His ability to get on the ball and orchestrate progressive play got Liverpool their goal.

Versatility

Jürgen Klopp loves versatility within players and their ability to adapt to multiple positions and systems. Fabinho is an incredibly versatile player.

For example, so far this season he has played CDMF, RDMF, LDMF, RCB, and LCB for Liverpool. In the past, he has played RB for Brazil and AS Monaco.

His heatmap showcases how versatile and dominant he is in midfield covering plenty of ground. The deep red within the heatmapforward. However, one of the two advanced midfielders occasionally drops back to partner Fabinho, providing protection against the counter-attack.

To illustrate, against Bournemouth he played as a single pivot in a 4-3-3. Fabinho hadn’t played in a single pivot since the 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the EPL where he failed to impress.

Against one of the best counter-attacking teams in the Premier League, he totalled:

As a result, it was a strong performance by Fabinho playing in a role he hadn’t for many games.

One of the most efficient DMFs within the top six this season

Fabinho has stood out as one of the most efficient DMFs within the top six this season. Statistically comparing him to the likes of Fernandinho, Matić, Torreira, and Jorginho, Fabinho stands out at only 24 years