English side Liverpool are enduring a poor run of form in the EPL presently.
As it stands they sit at the 7th spot on the table. Two points behind 6th place Tottenham and 23 points behind league leaders Manchester City.
Injuries to the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Matip and Gomez have led to an unstable defensive line up.
One player who has been played off position, due to the injury woes is, the Brazilian Fabinho.
The swap of Fabinho from a guarding midfielder, to a defender, has been identified as one of Liverpool's major issues this season.
Just how important is Fabinho?
The Liverpool team presently lack a quality protective midfielder.
Ever, since the switch of Fabinho to a makeshift defender, Liverpool have conceded twice as more goals than they did earlier.
Little wonder on Van Dijk's recovery and Fabinho's restoration to a protective midfielder, the reds have gone on to win both matches.
The Fabinho effect
Injuries to Van Dijk, Matip and Gomez, meant that Liverpool had lost their major sources of defensive protection.
Furthermore, a change in Fabinho's position meant that Liverpool had also lost a much-needed cover in midfield.
When their attacking pressure was on, Liverpool lacked a quality guarding midfielder to protect them from opposition counter-attacks. This is a major reason why they have conceded much more goals.
In line with that, Liverpool have also lacked players who can put in strong tackles on opposition teams. Due to the absence of those aforementioned.
Conclusion
As a team who love to press upward, Liverpool's style requires a tank-like midfielder to serve as a shield. This shield is crucial in other to cover for their defensive lapses.
The tank-like protection to the team was exactly what Fabinho brought to the table. The likes of Thiago Alcantara huffed and puffed but could not salvage a thing.
A guarding midfield cover and quality defenders was what the reds were lacking.
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