"Fell off that little cliff" - Pundit says £44 million Liverpool star is actually getting worse 

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant is far from impressed with Fabinho's performance during the club's 3-1 Premier League loss to Brentford. The Reds suffered a devastating blow to their top-four hopes with the defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium on January 3.

Jurgen Klopp's team's midfield have faced immense scrutiny yet again. Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, and Harvey Elliott started in the middle of the pitch against Brentford.

Pennant shared his assessment of the trio, claiming that Fabinho is getting worse by the day. While he acknowledged that Thiago is excellent with the ball, the former winger pointed out that the Spaniard won't provide defensive protection.

Pennant further stated that Elliott is one for the future but that the youngster would struggle to get into the midfield of any top-10 team.

Speaking on talkSPORT after Klopp's side's devastating defeat to Brentford, Pennant said (via Rousing the Kop):

“Fabinho, now, we’ve seen the best of him – we’ve used the best of Fabinho. He’s just fell off that little cliff. Thiago, he’s great on the ball, but he’s not going to give you that protection. I think Elliott, one for the future [but] right now won’t get in many top 10 midfields – never mind Liverpool’s to start [his career with]."

He added:

"So, with them three players there, it’s lacklustre. We definitely need to strengthen in those areas, for sure.”

Fabinho has been one of the crucial cogs for the Reds since his arrival in 2018. The Merseyside team paid AS Monaco £44 million to acquire the Brazilian's services.

He has been an integral part of the teams that won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. The Brazilian midfielder has made 194 appearances for the club but has failed to find his best form this season.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke after defeat against Brentford

Brentford FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Liverpool are currently languishing in the sixth spot in the Premier League table with 26 points on the board from 17 games. Klopp said after the defeat against Brentford that the only way to turn his team's fortune was to start winning games.

He told the media (via the Reds' official website):

"How I said, we have to win football games and that we have a lot of players not available in the moment, you can see that in changes and when we change it's now not that we can just throw in offensive players and stuff like this to give somebody a rest or say, 'OK, come on, you did enough for today.' So they all pretty much have to fight through. That's the situation and nothing else."