JURGEN KLOPP has reacted quickly to Liverpool’s defeat in the Champions League final by signing defensive midfielder Fabinho from Monaco for £40m.
Less than 48 hours after their chastening 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in Kiev, the Brazilian joined the Reds on a long-term year contract to replace the Juventus-bound Emre Can.
Fabinho will be joining fellow new midfield arrival Naby Keita at Melwood in July after a £57m deal was struck with RB Leipzig 12 months ago.
Our friends at Football Whispers analyse just how the new additions on Merseyside will operate together in the Liverpool engine room…
Putting aside Gareth Bale’s brilliance and Loris Karius’ unfortunate mistakes, one of the main reasons Liverpool lost in Kiev was a lack of midfield control.
Outside of the first 31 minutes before Mohamed Salah’s injury, the Reds were completely out-passed and out0-manoeuvred by Madrid’s trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
In the 59 minutes after Salah was substituted, Modric, Kroos and Casemiro made 142 passes to Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner’s 66.
In the same time period, Madrid also enjoyed 70.1% possession to Liverpool’s 29.9%.
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All that chasing the ball left the Reds’ midfield three leggy and tired and created further space for Los Blancos to exploit.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that Klopp has acted swiftly to attempt to correct such a glaring issue, especially with Can on his way to Juventus.
In Fabinho and Keita, Liverpool have a midfield duo who each possess their own unique skills and strengths that should complement each other perfectly.
Fabinho arrives at Anfield following a difficult campaign with Monaco after they denied him a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
He was not the same player as in the 2016/17 season where the Principality club won the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
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A transfer should do him good having kicked his heels for the last 12 months and Fabinho should start the season refreshed and hungry for new success.
He began his career as a right-back and his performances as a defender prompted Real Madrid to bring him to the Spanish capital when he was just 19.
However, a lack of opportunities at the Bernabeu led to him returning to Brazil on loan and then signing for Monaco who slowly converted him into a midfielder.
His early years at full-back have given him an outstanding defensive awareness and Fabinho is a midfielder who’s positionally and excellent and knows when to help out his back-four.
At 6ft 2ins he has a physical presence in the tackle and when competing in the air which should give the Reds extra steel in that department.
Not to take anything away from Henderson or Milner’s fine seasons but they, along with Wijnaldum, do not possess the same defensive authority.
Fabinho is also excellent on the ball and excels in keeping possession and dictating tempo through constant and probing passing, much like Fernandinho at Manchester City.
Keita, by contrast, is more of the all-action box-to-box midfielder. The Guinea international loves a rampaging dribble through the middle of the park and should get the Anfield crowd on its feet.
He doesn’t have the same defensive discipline as Fabinho but with the Brazilian behind him in a covering role, he won’t need to.
Keita can be a midfielder who makes things happen for Klopp’s side and provide a necessary spark that the central midfielders at the club, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain aside, lack.
Although Klopp has stuck faithfully to a 4-3-3 for much of the season to ensure he can fit Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane into his side, Fabinho and Keita now give him greater flexibility.
Unlike fielding any two of Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum, Can or the injured Oxlade-Chamberlain, he would not lose any defensive security with the new arrivals.
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Fabinho excelled in a 4-4-2 at Monaco during the 2016/17 season alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko, now of Chelsea, and Keita has mainly operated in a 4-2-4 at RB Leipzig.
In theory, both can shield the defence and also support in an attacking sense.
Of course, what Klopp always demands from his player is an ability to relentlessly press the opposition and that has, in-part, led to difficultly in recruiting midfielders.
Either the defensive/holding types are too slow and ponderous or the attacking ones too focused on wanting the ball at their feet.
In his new midfield duo the German coach has midfielders who are impactful both with and without the ball and have the energy to run down their rivals.
The nature of their respective transfers is also important as although Fabinho enjoyed great success at Monaco and Keita was a huge hit with Leipzig, they are making the next step in their careers.
They have plenty to prove but the rise in standard of the opposition and pressure of playing for Liverpool should bring out an extra level in each player.
Both have been treading water a bit this season, waiting to move on and should report for pre-season eager to impress and keen to learn.
In the blink of an eye, Klopp may have turned one of Liverpool’s great weaknesses into a major strength.
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