Former Arsenal midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson compared Liverpool’s Fabinho to Gareth Barry on Saturday.
Barry, who holds the Premier League record for appearances, currently plays for West Brom in the Championship – previously playing for the likes of Manchester City and Everton.
Twitter: Paul Merson: “You know who Fabinho reminds me of? Gareth Barry.” (@AnfieldWatch)
These Liverpool fans reacted to his comments…
Well…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch Try Viera, mate (@Enduro_Stu)
Don’t want to be mean…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch I don’t want to be mean here. Barry was a fine Premier league player. His games played back that up.… https://t.co/lih62edMiI (@notpc2016)
Trolling…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch I should start my own podcast talking about football. Some of these pundits are trolling. https://t.co/4Zch6kDpSZ (@tatadaman95)
Joke…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch Joke of a comment (@PraveshDursan)
Lazy…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch Lazy lazy comment again (@cragrogers)
Wildest…
Twitter: @AnfieldWatch Of all the wild things I’ve seen all day, this has to be the wildest 😂😅 (@GeeUWotM8)
READ LIVERPOOL VERDICT
Some Liverpool fans have clearly taken offence to Merson’s comments, but it is a fair comparison. Fabinho plays very much in the mould of Barry, although you can certainly argue that he does it at a higher level than Barry ever did – that is up for debate.
Barry, like Fabinho, was (in the Premier League) a holding midfielder who broke up attacks and liked to keep the play ticking with crisp passes – as Fabinho does now. The comparison makes sense and the outrage from some supporters does feel very odd, especially considering Barry’s longevity at the top level.
