“Keep it simple,” Bill Shankly used to say. And, sure enough, against RB Leipzig in midweek, Liverpool did just that – by moving Fabinho into midfield.
The blindingly simple expedient of playing a player in his best position.
This is not to say the Reds are back or that the catastrophe of this season may have been avoided.
But perhaps it will help stop the rot and, had it been done in the first place, it might have reduced the extent of it.
Six defeats in a row at Anfield! Title surrendered without a fight! World, European and English champions bowing to the likes of Burnley, Brighton and Fulham!
All unthinkable events when not only the gods seemed to conspire against Jurgen Klopp but the stars aligned unfavourably too.
To be fair to the manager, Fabinho seemed a logical choice to play centreback when the regulars were falling like dominoes and all he had left were kids with callow faces and moisture behind their ears.
And with his height, versatility and liking for a tackle, the Brazilian initially filled in with aplomb.
But with hindsight, we can now see that he may have done too good a job. Just before the end of the year, it looked as if Liverpool were coping with their injury crisis.
They were top of the league on Boxing Day and bookies’ favourites to retain their crown.
This is what makes analysis of their demise so difficult. And why they are still the story of this weirdest of seasons. Many of their fans will admit, “it has done their heads in.”
Indeed, had it not been for social distancing, any self-respecting shrink could have set up a couch outside Anfield and done a roaring trade in psycho-analysis.
Much sleep has been lost, hair torn out, while numbers like six (European Cups and successive home losses), 68 (undefeated games at Anfield) and 19 (League titles and centreback pairings) are seared on to Koppite brains.
But for a few short weeks, Fabinho masked the defensive deficiencies – a high-class sticking plaster for a gaping wound – before he also got injured.
As soon as he recovered, he was there again, with a different partner every game, it seemed.
Playing manfully but, as the season wore on, not dominating like a natural centreback or as assured in his positional sense as the crocked regulars.
It’s almost as if the club experienced a delayed reaction to the injury carnage but they just kept on coming. Third-choice Joel Matip joined Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez in being out for the entire season.
Even the new signings were hit by the curse. Diogo Jota, who had been a scoring revelation since his surprise arrival from Wolves, fell by the wayside.
Thiago Alcantara had hardly been seen at all, injured in the same October game as Van Dijk, and when the Spaniard did return, he looked more like a misfit than a maestro.
But in midweek, with Fabinho alongside in midfield, he was a player reborn, relishing the support and able to pick up the creative baton once again. It’s just as well with Jordan Henderson having joined the long-term casualties.
None were more grateful than the centreback pairing of on-loan Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips.
They benefitted from having the Brazilian “lighthouse” on the lookout in front of them, putting in the biting tackles, winning the ball and warding off much of the danger.
The front three of Jota, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane also had a new spring in their step, service from midfield having resumed.
You have to wonder if Fabinho had not performed so well last year, the club might have signed a top-draw centreback on January 1 instead of waiting until the 31st to bring in two for the future.
Seven matches were played in that time and three were lost.
Even if they’d had to pay over the odds, an experienced international might have been worth it. It was an emergency after all.
Welcome though the Champions League win was, it doesn’t mean Liverpool have regained their mojo – far from it as chances were still squandered but at least they were being created.
And now they face fierce competition for a top four slot. Manchester United and Leicester are long-term residents behind champions elect City, while Chelsea and Spurs are enjoying strong revivals.
Throw in West Ham and Everton, both of whom are better off than Liverpool, and the champions have a huge task to even be in the elite tournament next season.
It is barely being whispered but their best – and simplest – route might be to repeat what they did in 2005 and win this year’s trophy.
The final is back in Istanbul so the portents may be favourable. On that occasion, UEFA changed the rules afterwards to let them defend the trophy.
But Klopp is wise not to get carried away – central defence still looks creaky and the front three tired.
Nope, on recent form, even with Fabinho as the shield, you wouldn’t fancy Kabak and Phillips against Robert Lewandowski or Kylian Mbappe.
At times of crisis, Liverpool fans always ask: What would Shankly do? Rather than dream of another twist to a weird season, the great man would be lining up a top central defender and striker for next season. Pure and simple.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.