Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant feels Brazilian midfielder Fabinho has fallen off the cliff in terms of his recent performances

Liverpool were supposed to be challenging for the Premier League title against Manchester City this season but they have not been good enough this season. The Reds recently lost 3-1 against Brentford and hardly any of their top players showed up on the night as Brentford dominated a large portion of the game leaving behind a lot of questions for manager Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool fans.

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant was not very impressed with Brazilian midfielder Fabinho’s performance on the night as he failed to provide that protection that was needed as he was sitting right in front of the backline but still could not stop the opposition from scoring thrice in the game.

The midfield trio of Liverpool needs a relook as it clearly is not working for the Reds. Fabinho as Pennant suggested is far from his best and will only get worse from here. Whereas Thiago Alcantara is brilliant with his passing and vision but one cannot expect him to provide that security in midfield without a midfielder who is more adept defensively. Lastly Harvey Elliot surely is one of the most talented youngsters in Anfield but his best days are ahead of him and currently he is not even in the top 10 midfielders in the league and starting for Liverpool can be a big pressure moment for a youngster.

“Fabinho, now, we’ve seen the best of him – we’ve used the best of Fabinho. He’s just fell off that little cliff, Thiago, he’s great on the ball, but he’s not going to give you that protection. I think Elliott, one for the future [but] right now won’t get in many top 10 midfields – never mind Liverpool’s to start [his career with],” Pennant shared his assessment of the Liverpool midfield trio that played against Brentford in their 3-1 defeat.

“So, with them three players there, it’s lacklustre. We definitely need to strengthen in those areas, for sure,” he added.

Fabinho has been exceptional for the Reds ever since he joined the club from AS Monaco. His presence in the midfield allowed the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to venture forward. He has helped Liverpool win the Premier League and also the Champions League but currently he is getting older and slower and his defensive awareness is regressing and hence Pennant does make a very valid point.

Fabinho has featured in 194 matches for Liverpool but has struggled to replicate his best form for Jurgen Klopp’s men. If Fabinho does not function properly the entire midfield crumbles as their roles are interconnected with one another. Hence it is no surprise that Thiago and Harvey Elliot have also failed to spark anything noteworthy against Brentford.

Liverpool are currently in sixth spot on the Premier League points table. They have mustered 28 points from 17 matches and are 16 points behind league leaders Arsenal who are simply flying away with the title despite their recent 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.

Liverpool for now should think of finishing in the top four rather than chasing for the title. For that they will have to win matches and Klopp is well aware of that fact. But his situation with unavailable players this season made things worse for the German tactician.

“How I said, we have to win football games and that we have a lot of players not available in the moment, you can see that in changes and when we change it’s now not that we can just throw in offensive players and stuff like this to give somebody a rest or say, ‘OK, come on, you did enough for today.’ So they all pretty much have to fight through. That’s the situation and nothing else,” Klopp shared after the Brentford defeat.