The decline of Roberto Firmino is sadly a real thing.
He’s still got wonderful feet, and his football brain is still there, but his inability to strike a football cleanly is simply negating his effectiveness as a mainline centre-forward.
When did you last see him kick it hard? It’s bizarre. This term, his expected goals puts him on 13, but in reality, he’s notched just six – demonstrating how problematic his finishing is.
James Pearce told a podcast that he doesn’t think Bobby will be sold, but that a new striker is a must for the transfer window – and we’d wholeheartedly agree with him.
“I’d be amazed if he was moved on, as Klopp absolutely adores him… We’ve been so used to Firmino being one of the first names on the team-sheet, and I just don’t see that going forward…” he told the Red Agenda.
“You need a goalscorer, a poacher – surely the time has come to draw a line under Divock Origi’s Liverpool career.
“You move him on and upgrade in that department. Mo Salah has been carrying the burden for much of the season, and he needs more help.”
Erling Haaland would be nice – in fact – we’d probably still be a in title race if the Norwegian had been about to finish off the chances we’ve created in 2021 – but his transfer fee and wages will be unrealistic considering our latest published accounts…
Instead, we’ll likely need to bring in a Patson Daka type and hope he follows the same footsteps of Sadio Mane and Salah when they arrived.