Fabinho Earns Nickname After MotM Performance

Photo by TF-Images/ Getty Images

The central midfielder had himself a match and walked away with a new nickname from Jurgen Klopp to boot.

Liverpool FC walked away with the full 3 points in their match against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend. Liverpool maintain their 6 point lead at the top of the table over Manchester City, continue their unbeaten streak in general, and remain unbeaten at Anfield.

But perhaps the most amazing thing to come out of this victory is that Brazilian central midfielder Fabinho has been given a new nickname. The gangly but exquisitely fluid holding midfielder was imperious in the match, earning the match ball and round plaudits from observers and fans alike.

And as we’ve noted elsewhere, all of this was a long time coming. Since making his transfer to Liverpool last summer from AS Monaco, Fabinho has seen a bit of a circuitous road to the top of Jurgen Klopp’s preferred XI. It took some time for him to bed in, but by the run-in last season, he was an indispensable figure in the LFC line-up.

Now, when healthy, the man with the spider limbs and silky touch is often among the locks to make the starting squad. If you need someone to lock down the middle of the pitch? Fabs. Every single time.

Which is why the news of the nickname is a bit surprising. In his post match comments, Jurgen Klopp was extolling the quality of play when he dropped this little nugget out of the sky:

“You saw it, both wings were so strong with the triangles we created there: with Sadio, Robbo and Gini on one side, with Hendo, Mo and Trent on the other side. And then ‘Dyson’ in the centre, who was there for each ball defensively – what a game he played, unbelievable! Connecting with Bobby in the centre… I love the game, to be honest.”

There it is. Dyson. Dyson. Dyson?!

Why?

I don’t know. And the remaining language in the report containing the comments don’t quite explain it either.

My guess? Jurgen is a fan of the engineering of Dyson products and is maybe saying that Fabinho’s play engineered this win. Which, is maybe a stretch reading but also isn’t far off from what we saw.

The man in the middle controlled tempo, broke up plays, and even sprung attacks. It was a complete performance from a player quickly growing into World Class status.

Add that to positive performances from Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and the Admiral himself, Naby Keita, and it appears that Liverpool’s midfield are finally over the hump and starting to click.

Which is good because we’re only a few short weeks away before we start talking about real, honest-to-God fixture congestion. And all of the talk of rotation will be necessary. Here’s hoping Dyson and the gang can form a slate of world class midfield-by-committee performances that help us maintain that spot at the top of the table.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com