Just want to comment on Fabinho. His athleticism is what it is. He isn’t the fastest and most mobile, and he wasn’t those things before this season, when there was no issue with him. So what changed?
The whole midfield entered into a period of dysfunction. Our old timers were being asked to carry it, when it was clear they no longer had the legs to do that. So gaps were opening up all over the place, and we were getting overrun by many teams in the Prem.
It made Fabinho look terrible, coupled with a downturn in form.
During the last part of the season we have mitigated some of the issues, and Fabinho is not looking nearly as bad. If we add two good midfielders this summer there is still a part to play for Fabinho.
The main issue for me is that the whole midfield department has been mismanaged. We have had old timers who can’t quite carry it any more, and youngsters trying to come through but being introduced to a side that has been struggling (it’s why, for example, Harvey Elliott’s star has waned in some eyes, a little. Harvey is fine, and he saw a lot of action in the first two thirds of the season, but coming into a struggling side was a tough assignment for him).
Add a couple of prime operators and we are in business again. The exciting young midfielders we have can come through and do their thing. And whatever is left in the tank of the old timers can still make a contribution.