It is easy to forget now but Roberto Firmino didn’t have the best start to life as a Liverpool player. In his first few outings for the club, Brendan Rodgers used the former Hoffenheim attacker on the right side of a front three. Compatriot Philippe Coutinho was on the opposite flank while Christian Benteke spearheaded a new look forward line.
Firmino started three of the first six matches prior to sustaining a back injury, the Reds scored just one goal in the games he did start and picked up just a single point. Following the dismissal of Rodgers in early October, the Daily Mail put out a hit piece on the transfer committee at Anfield and there was a bullseye on the versatile forward.
'The committee have yet to explain how they came up with the figure of £29million to sign Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, who finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season.'
Bear in mind, this was just six games into his Liverpool career.
Had Rodgers remained at the helm for a little longer, Firmino’s stint on Merseyside could’ve been a brief one. Fortunately for the one-time defensive midfielder, Jurgen Klopp knew exactly what to do with him.
It was a real sliding doors moment for his Liverpool career.
The German tactician moved Firmino away from the wide area and deployed him centrally. The response was almost immediate. He assisted against Chelsea in his first start under the new Liverpool manager then ran riot at the Etihad, scoring once and assisting a further two in a 4-1 win.
He finished his debut campaign with 10 goals and seven assists across 1,982 Premier League minutes. From there on in, Firmino was Klopp’s centre-forward. He was a key cog in this Liverpool team, one that went on to win everything.
Firmino went from looking like a square peg in a round hole under Rodgers to having a position named after him after playing such an important role in Klopp’s Liverpool team. That alone highlights the importance of having a manager who understands your strengths.
While he didn’t ever challenge for the Golden Boot, he allowed others to do so. The No. 9 played his part in Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah developing into reliable goalscorers.
Both players have heaped praise on their teammate in the past.
After the arrival of Diogo Jota increased the pressure on Firmino, Salah said: "He has been unbelievable. Without him we couldn’t win the Champions League or Premier League, he sacrificed himself for the team and the way he plays, he gives us more chances to score. He has been an unbelievable player, inside and outside the field."
In a NY Times feature written in 2019, it was revealed that one of the reasons the data team pushed so hard for Salah was because they thought he’d pair well with Firmino. That turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Firmino assisted Salah’s first Premier League goal for Liverpool. Salah might’ve assisted Firmino’s final Premier League goal for the Reds.
While Mane has never been shy about telling the world that Firmino was one of the main reasons Liverpool was successful.
"I think that is part of football, where people always speak about the players who are scoring the goals but I have always said – and I will say it again – that without Firmino we wouldn’t be the same."
It is rather fitting that Firmino’s contribution to Liverpool’s 2022/23 campaign is going under the radar. After all, he’s made a career out of doing his best work in the shadows of others.
His goal against Aston Villa on Saturday was his 10th in the Premier League this season. He’s had his most productive season since 2018/19 when he scored 12 times across 2,620 minutes. This time around he’s on 10 from just 1,156 minutes. His last two goals have been equalisers late on in games. Firmino has only bettered this season’s tally on three occasions throughout his Liverpool career.
Firmino was the face of the Klopp era on Merseyside and he leaves a legend.
