The land of Jogo Bonito has produced some of the most skillful players to have ever graced the hallowed turf over the years. From the scintillating sashaying of Ronaldinho to the sheer strike superpower that Ronaldo became, Brazil has never been short of entertainers.
But, on occasion, the Brazilian football factory has churned out some stars whose focus is more on containment than forward expression. Two such players arrived on our shores in 2018, less than three weeks apart from each other, for substantial fees. The major difference between the compatriots is just how they have fared.
As Liverpool’s Fabinho and Manchester United’s Fred prepare to go head to head at Old Trafford on Sunday, the players both central midfielders encapsulate where their respective teams are at. Unerringly so.
Fabinho possesses all the ability you would want in a player in that position, with a passing radar that is the envy of many an opponent. But his focus rarely slips and, just as the well-oiled Liverpool machine exudes, the calmness and control he brings has made him as integral as anyone in Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield revolution.
Fred has shown glimpses of what he can do, but for every bit of brilliance in his play, a moment of frustration is never too far away. Sound familiar? The inconsistency in Fred’s performances and his team’s form in recent times are also uncannily identical.
For those who have known Fabinho from an early age back in Brazil, the often-unheralded role he plays has not come as a surprise.
“I scouted him when he was playing in the Copa de Sao Paulo, when he was very young,” Marcelo Veiga, long-serving director of Fluminense’s academy where Fabinho spent the entirety of his youth career, tells i. “He was very shy, but he listened to everyone, not just coaches. His team-mates loved him as he would do anything for them.
“I knew he could make it because he was really focused and strong mentally. He saw his opportunity had come and he really embraced it. His mental strength actually outweighed anything on the pitch, and it is why he is where he is today.
“We had more skillful players. We had Wellington Silva, who played for Arsenal, who I thought would be the player to make it to the top out of him and Fabinho, but there is more to making it than just ability.”
It was not the easiest journey for Fabinho after leaving Brazil as a 19-year-old. He spent three years, in vain, trying to force his way into the Real Madrid team, before excelling at Monaco. Any setbacks, however, were never going to get the better of him.
“Anything we asked him to do, and we tested this out, he did – I have never seen determination like he had,” Veiga adds. “He’s turned into one of the stars of world football because of his mental strength, his incredible hunger to learn and his multi-functionality. He is also the most intelligent footballer all of us have ever seen.”
While Fabinho has taken his game to new heights in England, Fred’s career trajectory has not quite followed the same smooth, trophy-laden path. One player who knows all too well how difficult it is for Brazilians to integrate at Old Trafford feels, perhaps, Fred is just another square peg in a choppy sea of round holes at United.
“I think Fred is a very talented player,” Brazilian former United midfielder Kleberson tells i. “Whenever he’s played for Brazil he’s been great going forward. “Unfortunately, when you arrive in England you have to change. He plays much deeper now and tries to protect the back four – maybe something he’s not always been used to.
“I had the same issue. When you join a team like Man United, you must adapt, but you want to show what you can do. The Premier League is completely different. There is no space to play, no time on the ball. He has improved, but he can still show more. Given more freedom on the field, that is when you will see him at his best.”
On Sunday, should he be passed fit, Fred will likely line up alongside Scott McTominay in United’s engine room. It has been Solskjaer’s go-to midfield pairing, with a 2-0 victory at last season’s champions Manchester City in March achieved, in part, thanks to “McFred’s” harrying and hassling in the engine room.
Since Fabinho’s arrival, Fred is yet to get one over on his compatriot in the league. He and his unpredictable side are capable of stunning in-form Liverpool at Old Trafford, but negotiating a way past the “best central midfielder in the world”, as his manager described him earlier this year, will be as essential as any other battle on the fields of M16 – just don’t count on Fabinho being overawed by the occasion.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3G7zrlI
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