Fabinho: I try to be alive and score

Fabinho says there is a simple reason why he has become a goal scorer this season.

The Brazilian has made a art form of protecting the back four during his time at the Reds, and in terms of last season, being a fill-in central defender when required to do so.

Much like Joel Matip, Fabinho seems to be greatly underrated across the Premier League landscape but he has been unquestionably vital to the success that Liverpool have had over the last few years.

To the start of this season, the defensive midfielder had scored three goals in 122 appearances, but in just 29 appearances this season he already has six including the vital winner against Burnley two weeks ago.

Not that scoring goals has been foreign to the 28 year-old throughout his career. At his former club Monaco, he scored 28 in his final three seasons with the Ligue 1 club (31 in total).

Speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup final (per the Mirror), Fabinho explained the difference in his game.

“I think the reason (I am scoring more goals) is that I am getting into the box more often. Now I am more often in the box, so I have more opportunities to score.

“I always try different movements, first and second balls, and our team is really good at set-pieces.When you have team-mates who can win the ball in the air, it can always fall to you.

"I try to be alive and score.”

Fabinho knows that Liverpool are in the running for four trophies this season but his full focus will be securing his first domestic cup at Wembley today.

“I don’t really think about four trophies.

“When you play two or three times a week, you just try to prepare game by game, just to recover because it’s not easy.

“It will be really nice to win this title because it would be my first national cup with Liverpool."

Just like many players brought to the club in the Jurgen Klopp era, It is not just about respecting their talents on the pitch, but recognising that they are generally likeable individuals with no ego attached.

Fab explained how he was made to feel welcome by a familiar face when arriving at the club in 2018.

“I remember when I arrived at the club, Bobby Firmino and his family were important for me and my family.

“They really helped us to feel welcome the best way possible; to feel like home."

With English not his first language, Fabinho naturally took time to find his confidence in front of the cameras, but he showed how far he has come with a classic response to a question after the Burnley game when the reporter claimed that Burnley had a lot of chances.

“I have improved a lot with my English since I have been at Liverpool. I had some lessons and it helped of course when you hear it at the training ground or from the manager.

“You learn from them. If I don’t understand something I ask.”