Although Kenny Cunningham remains a fan of Liverpool's midfielder Fabinho, the former Republic of Ireland captain had cause once again to highlight the Brazilian's defensive frailties on Wednesday's OTB AM.
Despite the manner in which a number of enraged Liverpool fans greeted Kenny Cunningham's critique of Fabinho's defensive capabilities on OTB AM late last year, the former Republic of Ireland captain is a fan of the Brazilian regarding certain aspects of his playing style.
When it comes to his defensive mindset, however, Cunningham had reason to discuss his frailties once more after Liverpool's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Tuesday night.
"I'm not shoving Fabinho under the bus," he insisted, "but if Jordan Henderson doesn't play in that central position from a defensive point of view it weakens the team."
At fault for Chelsea's opener, Cunningham was willing to forgive Fabinho's misplaced pass that allowed Willian in. However, when it comes to Ross Barkley's second, no such allowance was forthcoming.
"I don't know if you noticed," he pointed out, "but when Chelsea won possession 10 yards within their own half Ross Barkley had the ball at his feet and it was Fabinho alongside him.
"Basically then it was a foot race between Barkley with the ball at his feet and Fabinho running alongside him. It was about who could get down the pitch quicker and the answer was Barkley with the ball at his feet.
"Fabinho doesn't have the speed or athleticism of Jordan Henderson and he couldn't get back goal-side which put [Joe] Gomez in a difficult situation.
"Nobody is really talking about his lack of mobility in the lead-up to that goal but you can see it clearly."
Can't stop watching this goal 🤩#UndertheLights #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/ZlL1DbyVUM
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 4, 2020
One of the weak points Cunningham highlighted in Jurgen Klopp's reshuffled Liverpool team, the former Irish captain explored in greater detail the Brazilian's flaws.
"The problem with Fabinho is not just his speed but his athleticism as well in terms of his ability to change direction quickly," he explained. "We saw that with the free-kick he gave away on the edge of the box.
"He's heading in one direction and he needs to accelerate in the other direction but he can't really do it and that's why he lunges into the tackle.
"When you haven't got that kind of pace you really need to be switched on in terms of situations, having a really good defensive mindset.
"I don't necessarily see those defensive instincts in Fabinho. He's a very good technical footballer, but that lack of athleticism, the way he moves around a pitch, it looks a bit of an effort.
"I couldn't run the quickest under 20, 30 yards either, but you've got to give yourself a chance."
You can watch back Kenny Cunningham's interview in full here.
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