messi football kit kids ¡°For Fabinho, to play in a midfield three as we did at the start of the season, we knew it would take time. His impulse of defending forward is absolutely of the highest level, elite. The question as a No.6, though, is that you are moving more side-to-side than forwards.
¡°Then, of course, you have to adapt to the league and the team. We found a good solution to change to 4-4-2 (4-2-3-1). And from that moment it helped so much, and then you saw the real Fabinho.¡±
His improvement since has been striking, whether as part of a ¡®double six¡¯ or in the more familiar 4-3-3 formation. He¡¯s even, of course, filled in admirably at centre-back, and may be required to do so against Bayern Munich next week.
¡°Inside the ¡®organised chaos¡¯ that we want, that we like, he is like a lighthouse,¡± says Lijnders. ¡°He controls it.
¡°There¡¯s a saying in Portuguese, ¡®A bola sempre sai rodada¡¯. It means ¡®The ball always goes out round¡¯ and with a player like Fabinho in the middle, you can see that.
“His timing, his vision, his calmness, it gives another dimension to our midfield play.¡±
Alongside him, or sometimes in front of him, the replica football shirts cheap form of Gini Wijnaldum, Lijnders¡¯ fellow Dutchman, has been equally impressive.