"He's like a lighthouse": Pep Lijnders praise identifies Liverpool's best summer signing

By Sam Leveridge

Liverpool are refinding their feet and regaining their best form in the Premier League, as proven by the thrashing of Watford on Wednesday evening, and much of that is down to Fabinho.

The Brazilian holding midfielder had a slow and unconvincing start to the campaign on Merseyside after joining from Monaco but has now hit the ground running and is begging to show what he is capable of.

“Inside the ‘organised chaos’ that we want, that we like, he is like a lighthouse, he controls it and for me, you can still have the style of the gaffer and how we want to identify ourselves. But with a player like Fabinho in the middle, the ball always goes out round. That’s how they say it in Portuguese. His timing, his vision, his calmness, it gives another dimension to our midfield play,” he explained to ESPN.

assistent trainer Pepijn Lijnders of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Liverpool FC and Bayern Munich at Anfield on February 19, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)

His importance to the side is clear, as Ljinders makes clear with his opinion in a rare interview with the assistant manager. Whilst the likes of Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri have struggled for consistent starts, Fabinho has thrived.

Compatriot Alisson Becker has also excelled, but many may now point to Fabinho as the shining light in the middle of the park which is beginning to make a real difference to Jurgen Klopp’s plans.

Should he keep up his current form, there can be little doubting that the Brazilian will be one of the best signings of the season from Liverpool, perhaps even surpassing the goalkeeper.