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As Jurgen Klopp tries to maintain Liverpool's Premier League challenge, the need to settle his midfield becomes an increasingly pressing problem.
A home match against home club Fulham on Sunday may well be an opportunity to start correcting the situation by giving Naby Keita and Fabinho the decisive play time that will allow them to gain ground and take advantage of the game. l & # 39; insurance.
Both players were engaged at great expense during the summer to reinforce Liverpool 's midfield options.
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Keita was considered a substitute for Philippe Coutinho's offensive trick, while Fabinho was considered the player who would prove a defensive shield after Emre Can's departure.
Neither has yet managed to establish itself as a powerful presence in England, the Reds boss, Klopp, relying heavily on players used last season.
Klopp suggested that the two rookies would need time to settle in a new country, with Guinea international Keita coming from German club RB Leipzig and Brazilian Fabinho coming from France's Ligue 1 club in Monaco.
Although it is understandable that neither player is at the rendezvous, the need for them to regain form has become more pressing, due to the lack of creative spark in the Liverpool midfield.
If the first three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have not managed to reach the peaks of last season, the same goes for the midfielder where Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, injured, has sorely missed .
Liverpool defenseman Andy Robertson has noticed the difference.
"Last season, everyone had the habit of scoring four or five goals, and that can not be possible in every game," said Robertson.
"Maybe we miss a little spark in terms of winning 4-0 or 5-0 in most games, but if the manager thinks that, we have to try to get it back."
"We have to get together as a team and try to give what the gaffer wants, try to create the spark and try to win matches more comfortably."
Liverpool, currently third in the Premier League, has not been as threatening as last season en route to the Champions League final.
The midfielder has been particularly vulnerable in his last two games, a 1-1 draw in the Premier League at Arsenal last Saturday and a surprisingly mild defeat by the Champions League group 2-0 against the club. Red Star of Belgrade Tuesday.
Neither Keita nor Fabinho have played in Serbia, while their other signatory of this summer, Xherdan Shaqiri, was left in England, worried about the reception he would receive from local supporters because of his Kosovar heritage.
On Tuesday, Klopp's three-player midfielder failed to stand out as Jordan Henderson, victim of the hamstring injury, was clearly missed.
The error of James Milner led to the second goal of the local team. Georginio Wijnaldum shrugged off easily before Milan Pavkov scored. Adam Lallana, who started very rarely, was anonymous.
Fabinho was an unused substitute in Belgrade, after fighting against Arsenal, and is clearly not yet aware with the English game.
Keita started well in England, then had injury problems due to a back injury during Napoli's October defeat of the Champions League and a problem in the thighs to play for Guinea .
Klopp has turned around his midfielder this season, but seems reluctant to repeat the experiment he had attempted during the Premier League win against Southampton in September, when Shaqiri was used in a middle role advanced terrain.
The Swiss international was replaced at half-time, because Klopp felt the match was too open.
His best hope of having a regular playing time now seems to be part of the three forwards, which means dislodging Salah, Firmino or Mane.
Fabinho still has some work to do to win his starting place. Keita, however, will surely become a regular once he has tuned in and a meeting with Fulham, in trouble, could be the ideal starting point.
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