Fabinho Discusses Initial Liverpool Struggles, Breakthrough, EPL Title Race

Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has spoken about the patient approach manager Jurgen Klopp took with him during his first months at the club and believes the Reds have the necessary experience to win the Premier League title.

Fabinho barely featured during his first months at the club and seemed to struggle adapting, but he has since become a key midfield member and one of the top performers in the league over the past two months.

As Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo reported, he was surprised the Reds didn't start him sooner:

"I am happy, I still have things to improve, but I am happy overall with my performances.

"I am up to the speed of the Premier League, and that was what I was looking for. I think if it was up to me, I would have been playing from the beginning.

"Maybe Jurgen (Klopp) could see something I couldn't see, so not just conversations with him but all the staff helped me. I had patience to wait for my opportunities."

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On the title race he said:

"I know it is really hard to win a league, especially the Premier League, but we have experienced players here at Liverpool.

"I don't know if I can help a lot because we already have experienced players.

" [...] I had a good season with Monaco, we scored a lot of goals and we had joy playing football and we have to do it here as well.

"Enjoy the games and go on the pitch with happiness and go game-by-game."

The Brazilian didn't get his first Premier League start until late October, but there's no denying he's improved significantly since.

He's been an almost automatic starter since the start of the new year, and fans are hopeful things stay that way:

The 25-year-old joined from AS Monaco in the summer, and it came as no surprise he needed some time to adapt to a new league and country. He took a little longer than expected, but Klopp persisted with his patient approach.

As a result, the central midfielder―who can also help out as a defender―is playing with confidence. The Reds are unbeaten in the last five matches in which he has featured, stretching back to the January loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Liverpool are tied with defending champions Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings, but the Reds have a match in hand. With Tottenham Hotspur just five points further back, the title race could go down to the wire.

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Unlike many of his team-mates, Fabinho has already won a league title, doing what many thought was impossible during his spell with Monaco. Paris Saint-Germain and their deep pockets had dominated Ligue 1 for years, but they couldn't extend their title run during the 2016-17 campaign.

That experience could prove vital in the coming weeks, as City and their remarkable depth present a similar challenge in the Premier League.