Roberto Firmino was one of the last signings of the Brendan Rodgers era at Liverpool. The Brazilian featured in Brazil’s Copa America 2015 campaign, catching the eye of the then Reds head honcho. He signed shortly after the tournament ended from German side Hoffenheim with a fee in the neighborhood of £29,000,000. Early on it looked as if he would be just another bust, a player Rodgers felt the need to make a massive outlay for to save his skin only to have it be his undoing. But since Rodgers departure, the view of Firmino among Liverpool supporters has taken a drastic 180. With Jurgen Klopp as manager, the attacker has become one of the most productive players not only on Liverpool, but in England altogether. It has gotten even better since the calendar turned to 2016. Once believed to be another case of sunk money, Roberto Firmino is finally paying dividends.
Since New Year’s Day, Roberto Firmino has been involved in more goals than any other player in the Barclays Premier League. He’s scored seven and assisted on four. That goal tally is equal to the combined 2016 outputs of league leading scorers Jamie Vardy and Romelu Lukaku. That assist total is the same as Riyad Mahrez’s and double that of league leader Mesut Ozil. The great thing about these numbers is that they are coinciding with a great run of form by the team.
Liverpool has lost only four times in 2016, thrice in the league and in the Capital One Cup final. They avenged their losses against both Manchester clubs in recent weeks. They followed up their penalty kick loss in the Cup Final to Manchester City with a 3-0 dismantling of the Citizens in the league. A 1-0 loss to United was avenged by a sound 2-0 win on Thursday in the Europa League Round of 16. Firmino scored in both games.
As Liverpool have slowly inched their way up the table, and further along in Europe, Firmino has become increasingly more comfortable in Jurgen Klopp’s system. Deployed as either a forward or just behind the firing line as an attacking midfielder, Liverpool’s #11 has been omnipresent in the opposition’s penalty area. His motor on that side of the field is never ending, making for some very reputable sources to draw comparisons between him and another South American that left Anfield’s collective jaw dropped many a time, Luis Suarez. While that may be quite the leap to make over such a small sample size, the fact that Firmino has played well enough at any point to warrant such praise is encouraging.
The Brazilian has had his off days (i.e. the COC Final), but if this past three months are viewed as a balance sheet, the credits far outweigh the debits. The thing is he’ll even be better if Daniel Sturridge can remain healthy or Christian Benteke can rebuild his shaken confidence. Having the duo of Firmino and Philippe Coutinho playing just behind one, or both, of those two out and out strikers on a regular basis is what Klopp has craved since he took the Liverpool job. Two creative forces, with the knack for the spectacular, behind a true goal getter is the set up that made him so successful at Borussia Dortmund.
Now there have been many players this year, and for Liverpool in the past, that have gone on hot streaks like this. They are fun while they last and are crushing when they end. But Roberto Firmino’s recent run of form seems more like a settling in than a random spell of success. After not having regular playing time, nor a set responsibility, under Rodgers, Jurgen Klopp has given him both. While Kopites have rued the price tags of many other players brought in over the past few years, Firmino has the makings of one that will be worth every cent of his. And that’s something to celebrate.