Liverpool midfielder Fabinho got his first start for the Reds as they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the Caraboa Cup.
The Brazilian arrived from AS Monaco in the summer in a heralded deal, but has failed to make an impact on the team sheet so far.
It has taken until nearly the end of September for Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp to throw Fabinho a start – and he failed to impress some sections of the Liverpool fan base.
The Reds took the lead through Daniel Sturridge, who is making a compelling argument for more involvement in the first team, before two late Chelsea goals dumped the home side out of the League Cup at the first attempt.
Left-back Emerson scored with 10 minutes to go, before substitute Eden Hazard rocked Anfield with a late rocket of a shot.
Fabinho played nearly the whole game before Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp brought on Mohamed Salah in his place, and that would have been good for the midfielder’s match fitness.
WhoScored.com agreed with fan assessments as they gave the Brazilian the second worst rating out of the whole starting XI. Only right-back Nathaniel Clyne (6.2) scored worse than Fabinho’s 6.3, although Clyne was making his first appearance of the season.
The Reds will need to regroup and bounce back for their league game against the Blues on Saturday. Klopp will field a very different team and there is no reason why the result on Wednesday should have any reflection of the final score at the weekend.
Out of the 11 who kicked off in the Caraboa Cup, you’d expect eight changes. Certainly the defence will be overhauled, while Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri are bound to swap places. As are Sturridge and Roberto Firmino.
While it’s sad to go out of cup competitions, it does ease the burden on the squad slightly and allow a focus to shift to other areas – such as the league and Champions League.