Fabinho has admitted that Liverpool have “lost a bit of leadership” so far this season, but is delighted to have Virgil van Dijk back in the squad following his return from a hamstring injury.
The Dutchman has been sidelined since picking up the injury during a 3-1 loss to Brentford in early January, but returned to Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI for yesterday’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle.
Following a 2-0 win over Everton on Monday night, the clean sheet at St. James’ Park means the Reds have kept their consecutive clean sheet for the first time since October.
“I think sometimes in the season, we lost a little bit of leadership on the pitch,” Fabinho told Stadium Astro (via Rousing The Kop).
“Virgil is one of the leaders in this group, as is Jordan Henderson – James Milner. [too].
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“Having these players on the field is always important. You know they will be loud, they will talk to the team, they will try to organize the team.
“Virgilio is the best central defender in the world. He is very important to us. From set pieces, he is someone who always wins almost every ball.
“Yes, I’m very happy to have him back and playing at this level.”
Our No. 4 may not have been at his best this season, but we’re a much weaker team when he’s not playing.
His presence and leadership at the heart of our defense is what much of our success in recent years has been built on and his return to fitness comes at a great time.
Fabinho’s performance has also improved in recent weeks after a slow start to the campaign and we need another strong performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Although Darwin Nunez appeared to pick up a shoulder injury during our North East showdown, Luis Diaz is expected to return to action next month and Klopp now appears to have numerous options across the park.
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