Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has revealed that he hopes Manchester City suffer a similar collapse to the one that is currently plaguing rivals United. Speaking ahead of that match, the 28-year-old claimed he hoped that City suffered a similar fate to their arch-rivals.
Fabinho said: “I think Man United is a really big team and has big money to invest as well so when a team like this is not successful, I think it is good for us because it is one less team that will fight for titles or to win championships. I think this is good for us. If this happens with City as well I would be happy as it is one less team that will fight with us. Some clubs can always fight for the top of the league or winning a championship and I think Man United is one of the teams and if things don’t happen in the way they expect of course we will be happy because it is one less team on the top fighting for us.” Pressure has already started to mount on top of Erik ten Hag after the Reds’ start but Fabinho said he wasn’t worried about plunging United into further misery. I don’t care if a win pushes them a little bit more into crisis, I just want to beat them and win three points. The first half (last season) was almost a perfect game. We scored four goals and the way we played, the way we pressed them, the quality we played on the ball was really unbelievable. To be honest, I wanted the team to attack more to try to score more goals because we had one more player in that moment (Paul Pogba was sent off on the hour), but it was the moment where the team tried to control more of the game and to stabilise the ball. As a fan I wanted the team to score more because it was a big opportunity to do a historic score at Old Trafford but of course 5-0 was not bad.”
Fabinho says he accepts that a club the size of Liverpool will always be linked to midfielders as transfer talks get set to intensify before the end of the month. And the Brazil international admits even he has heard of reports naming the club in connection with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, such has been the intense speculation this summer. With Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara all sidelined with injuries, talk of incomings have grown more audible of late. But Brazil international Fabinho accepts that is simply part and parcel of things at Anfield.
Fabinho said: “I didn’t hear too much about transfers. Of course there are always players linked with the club because the club has to look forward and try to be better. It is normal that good players are always linked with the club. I didn’t hear about Tchouameni. I heard about Bellingham because he is young and a really good player but he didn’t come. It is normal. Liverpool is a big club and wants to keep fighting with the best so it is normal that they will buy new players. It is normal that they will buy new players and that some players have had their name linked to the club. But it doesn’t bother me. I’m really confident. I am really happy here so if Liverpool buy another No.6 that is normal and I will fight for the team and for the position. I think the midfield is the place where we have more options [than any other department]. I think now we have two or three midfield players with injuries and we still have a lot of options – so although I think I’m not the right man to say whether we need another player or not – but in my opinion we have really good players already in this sector.”
Liverpool have so far made an underwhelming start to their Premier League campaign having drawn with Fulham at Craven Cottage on August 6 before a 1-1 draw at Anfield with Crystal Palace on Monday evening. With problems for Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara and illness to Naby Keita adding to the pre-season injuries for Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Klopp’s midfield options have taken a battering already this term. Fabinho, though, says he does not overly concern himself with the upheaval in the engine room and who he will be asked to play with in the centre of the park, saying he is happy with whoever is selected next to him.
Fabinho added: “No, I don’t worry about it too much. Of course it is not good to have this number of players injured in the beginning of the season. For the last game the two players who played with me were Milly (James Milner) and Harvey (Elliott) and I think they played a really good game. Milly has been here for like seven or eight years, it is not hard for him to come in the team and play good football. Harvey, he is hungry to show his potential, show his talent so every player who came in the team wants to stay in the team, play good football, to show that they deserve this place so this is not a problem for me. For the manager I think it is not a problem as well. I think I have a big responsibility in the team because I consider myself an important player for the team so I want to always play my best football and be at a high level. It doesn’t matter who plays with me, I just want to help the team-mates next to me, I don’t think there is more responsibility if you have an injury to Hendo or Thiago, the players who play more often with me.”
