We’re all left scratching our heads after Virgil van Dijk’s post-game comment about Fabinho in the wake of Liverpool’s 3-0 win against Burnley.
The Reds came away from Turf Moor with another victory in the bag thanks to a Chris Wood own goal and strikes from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Van Dijk had another fine game, as did his defensive partner Joel Matip, but the man the giant star chose to pick out wasn’t one of his back four colleges. No, it was the player tasked with protecting them: Fabinho.
The Brazilian’s form has improved dramatically in the last couple of games and he’s now operating at somewhere near the level he was at the back end of 2018/2019.
And to celebrate that, van Dijk chose to use a reference that has got us all scratching our heads and excited in equal measure – because Virg used the distinctly English reference point of Inspector Gadget to describe how Fabinho plays.
In a way, that brings up more questions than it answers. Does van Dijk know of the TV Show first hand? Perhaps it brought him some joy while he was at Celtic. Maybe it was translated into Dutch? Maybe he’s heard the other Liverpool lads call Fab by that name and he just loves it.
Either way, van Dijk has laid claim to the nickname by airing it in public. Good work Virg.
You have to admit it makes sense. When Fabinho pulls out those long levers of his it almost seems like they’re telescopic. One minute the opposition attacker thinks he’s broken clear, the next a limb appears out of nowhere to nick the ball away. It must be infuriating, but it’s brilliant for Liverpool.
As the main holding player, the Brazilian’s role is so important. When he’s on fire, he really is someone van Dijk and the rest should cherish, because he makes their job so much easier.