Liverpool can consider the 2020-21 season a successful one if they secure a top-four finish, according to Fabinho.
The Reds won their first-ever Premier League title at a canter last term, finishing 18 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, but have been unable to match the same levels of consistency this time around.
City have already regained the trophy while Jurgen Klopp's men have slipped to fifth in the standings with three games remaining, and they are destined to end the campaign without a single piece of silverware to their name.
What's been said?
Liverpool also exited both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the fourth round before crashing out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals at the hands of Real Madrid, but Fabinho puts their troubles down to bad luck with injuries.
The Brazilian thinks the Reds can still look back on the season fondly if they manage to salvage Champions League qualification, as he told Sky Sports: "If you asked me at the beginning of the season, I would say no.
"At the beginning, we are always optimistic, I would talk about winning trophies. Right now, I would say yes because the season has been a little bit strange.
"After the injuries, the bad moments we've had, being in the top four would mean a success."
Liverpool's injury nightmare
Liverpool made a relatively strong start to the campaign before injuries began to hamper their progress, starting with the loss of Virgil van Dijk in a 2-2 draw with Everton in October.
The likes of Fabinho, Joel Matip and Trent-Alexander Arnold subsequently joined the Dutchman on the treatment table while club captain Jordan Henderson was also sidelined.
Klopp has had to experiment with a variety of different pairings at centre-back as a result, and Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies were brought in during the January transfer window as the German sought to arrest their dip in form.
Fabinho's rallying cry
Liverpool gave themselves a great chance of sealing a Champions League spot by beating Manchester United 4-2 at Old Trafford last week, as they now sit just four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand.
The Merseyside outfit have fixtures against West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace still to come, and Fabinho has called on the squad to give everything in order to pick up maximum points.
"Now is the decisive part of the season," he added. "We have three finals to play, to win. We have to try and play our best football but in finals you have to win.
"If we don't play our best but can get the three points, I will take it because that is what we need in this moment."
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
