When João Palhinha joined the Premier League about eighteen months ago, he left a lasting impression on English football. Fulham signed him, eager to bolster his midfield division following their promotion from the Championship under Marco Silva.
The Portuguese international immediately made a name for himself in the middle of the park as a ball-winning presence after making his debut in England. In fact, in 35 games during his season last year, he recorded a total of 193 tackles and interceptions.
With a considerable margin, his outstanding performance positioned him at the pinnacle of the division. Palhinha was top of the table, followed by Moisés Caicedo (156), Idrissa Gana Gueye (153), and Declan Rice (142). Two of those players, who were signed by Arsenal and Chelsea in the most recent summer transfer window, moved for record-breaking sums.
Just a few months ago, Palhinha, who is 28 years old, came close to signing with Bayern Munich. His performances for Fulham were obviously noticed by the German champions, to the point where Thomas Tuchel attempted to bring him to Bavaria, only for the agreement to fall through hours before the transfer window closed.
In fact, he was connected to a move to Merseyside at the same time. After Fabinho appeared to be declining on the pitch in the previous season, Jürgen Klopp took the audacious decision to sell him in the summer, forcing Liverpool to find a suitable replacement elsewhere in the market.
The Daily Mail claimed that Palhinha was on the Anfield shortlist, but he stayed at Craven Cottage. He has continued to play in the Premier League for Fulham this season, and he is continuing to establish himself as possibly the best destroyer in the nation, much like he did the previous year.
With 36 tackles so far this season, he leads all players in the division. The closest midfielder is Marvellous Nakamba of Luton Town, with just 23 tackles, and Yves Bissouma of Tottenham Hotspur, with 21 tackles.
Palhinha leads Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in tackles and interceptions with 69, surpassing the latter’s total of 56. Under Silva’s guidance, the Cottagers midfield player is thriving once more, and this weekend, he will face Liverpool.
Klopp’s equivalent will probably be Alexis Mac Allister. In contrast, the World Cup winner is far more technical and offensive, but since the summer, he has been playing in place of Fabinho, and the South American is still adjusting to his new position.
Recently, Klopp has discussed his use in more in-depth contexts. He stated last week: “I really like him there, and if we make sure we have a really compact formation, we can benefit as a team a lot. Is Macca a six by nature? No. Has football evolved in recent years in ways that we never could have predicted? Indeed.
On Sunday afternoon, Mac Allister will face the real deal in Palhinha. Although the two players will view the holding midfield position at Anfield very differently, the Reds star has the chance to live up to Klopp’s expectations by performing well on the pitch. Although he isn’t the Fabinho substitute that fans were hoping for, he possesses the skills to give him an advantage over his rival this coming weekend.
