This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Fabinho’s injury is a huge blow to Liverpool in defensive midfield.
The Brazil international had started all but two Premier League games and all Champions League matches before injuring his ankle against Napoli in Europe last week. It has now been confirmed that he will be out until the New Year with the problem.
Described as the “best defensive midfielder in the world” by Gary Neville in September (Sky Sports via Metro), whoever steps into his shoes will have his work cut out to have a similar impact on the Reds’ midfield. Jordan Henderson stepped into the breach against Brighton in the Premier League in the first match without the 28-year-old, but it remains to be seen whether he is a long-term option.
Other alternatives include Adam Lallana, who has played one game in the role this term already, and Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner, who both have previous experience there but are not 100% comfortable.
Marko Grujic, though, is one player who could fill in. The Serbia international is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga, as he has been for the last 18 months. And his best displays have arguably come in defensive midfield.
Last season, he made 11 appearances in central midfield and 12 in a slightly deeper role, according to WhoScored. Whilst he did pick up an average WhoScored rating of 7.05 further forward, that number was dwarfed by the 7.32 he picked up in the more defensive position. This term, as well, it is a similar story, with those numbers being 6.57 and 6.98 respectively.
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Defensively, he won 1.6 out of the 2.7 tackles he attempted per match last season, with that number being 1.1 and 1.8 this term respectively. He has been particularly adept in terms of clearances, with three per match this season, whilst he has also won an impressive 3.4 aerial duels per game in the league, compared to the former Monaco man’s 1.4.
It is going forward though, even from a defensive position, where he has looked arguably at his best. He has completed 1.6 of the 1.7 dribbles he has attempted per match this season. Fabinho, meanwhile, has just 0.6 in the top tier. The former Partizan Belgrade man also has more shots than the current Liverpool number three, too.
Pal Dardai, Hertha’s manager last season, said Grujic is the best midfielder he has seen in the Bundesliga in his 22 years at the club. High praise indeed, and a large number of those performances have come in defensive midfield.
It is not known whether the Reds have included a recall option in the agreement with the club from the German capital, but he is the player they are crying out for as it stands. If they haven’t, it could be a mistake they will live to regret.
