Analysing the quality of shot placement from Liverpool players this term, a football data analyst uncovered that Mo Salah tops the list in good shot placement, with Bobby Firmino sitting at the bottom of the pile.
Considering how the Premier League top scorer has performed this season, despite the disruption to the team structure, it’s not at all surprising.
Which #LFC players are making more of their shot location with good shot placement. MS making most, RF making least. @InfogolApp pic.twitter.com/8cfULFo1Kk
— mark taylor (@MarkTaylor0) February 24, 2021
Prior to succumbing to injury before the turn of the year, Diogo Jota was likewise excelling in a red shirt, netting nine goals in 17 games in all competitions.
Sadly, Bobby Firmino’s poor shot placement reflects the eye test, with the Brazilian struggling to fulfill his role as the vital jigsaw piece of the Reds’ frontline.
Interestingly, Sadio Mane, just behind Divock Origi, is hardly setting the world alight when it comes to shot placement this season either.
It’s possible, of course, that the No.9 is merely a victim of the club’s ongoing injury crisis, as Jota’s injury has meant there have been few opportunities for the forward to rest.
For a player who is deemed so vital to linking up play, and putting in the extra yard to do so, fatigue may be playing a part in the 29-year-old’s struggles.
At the moment, it feels far too early to call time on Firmino’s Liverpool career (absolutely so for Mane), certainly whilst injuries continue to affect the potency of our threat going forward.
Nonetheless, we’d be in favour of the club reinforcing the forward line in the summer, in order to take some of the burden off our front-three.