Firmino Starting To Prove His Worth
Liverpool’s 4-1 thrashing of Manchester City at the Etihad was a tremendous team performance, but the Reds’ big money summer signing Firmino impressed the most.
The Brazilian has shown glimpses of his talent in recent weeks, but his performance against one of the best teams in the Premier League really caught the eye.
Firmino hasn’t exactly hit the ground running since his £29million summer from Hoffenheim to Anfield. Former manager Brendan Rodgers played him out wide before he cracked a bone in his back that kept him out for a month.
But Firmino’s fortunes have changed since his return to fitness that coincided with the arrival of new manager Jurgen Klopp to Anfield, and the German knew exactly what Firmino is capable of.
Klopp put his faith in Firmino by playing him as Liverpool’s lone striker against City on Saturday despite having Daniel Sturridge and Christian Benteke available, and the Brazilian didn’t disappoint.
Firmino caused problems all night for City centre-backs Mangala and Demichelis. His physical strength and intelligent movement and passing was instrumental in Liverpool’s attacking threat that could have seen Liverpool win by a bigger margin.
The link-up play with Firmino, Coutinho and Lallana terrorised City and the performance will give Liverpool supporters food for thought for the future and the excitement of seeing more of Firmino.
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