David Brindle, BBC Sport
The coach journey home from Selhurst Park last Saturday was a joyous one after that stoppage-time winner from Harvey Elliott.
And yet despite that, there’s one quote that still sticks in my head from the many opinions shared post-match.
“Wait until they click.”
The win over Crystal Palace was Liverpool’s fourth straight in all competitions, and they have lost just one of their last 14 – winning 10 – but it is completely true.
There is a feeling that this side has yet to fully “click” this season. Some of those results included needing two late goals to scrape past Fulham at Anfield, a stoppage-time equaliser away to Luton and a Darwin Nunez worldie to get past Bournemouth in the EFL Cup.
So what is missing?
A lot of people point to the defensive midfield position. The summer acquisitions of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo have had ups and downs at the pivot of that midfield three, but neither are long-term solutions.
Mac Allister is far better in a more advanced position and Endo’s age means he is not the future, even if he was excelling.
Which begs the question – did Liverpool let the missing piece of the puzzle leave last summer?
Granted, basically everyone had a bad season last season, but would Fabinho being in that midfield have brought Jurgen Klopp’s side the stability and solidity they’re currently without?
Yes he is the same age as Endo, but he had the prior experience of the system and the demands.
Remember, Fabinho, at one stage during his stint at Liverpool, was up there with the best in the world, and was aptly nicknamed ‘The Lighthouse’ by Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
Klopp made light of missing out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the summer when speaking at a test event at Anfield this week, but that further highlights the problem the position is causing.
It could be the area where Liverpool choose to strengthen in January or wait until the summer, but even without the natural fit in that area the side are grinding out results.
To know you let go a player who could have been the final piece of the puzzle, could be a big regret for Klopp and his team.