Bobby Firmino has enjoyed somewhat of an unexpected Anfield resurgence this season and his tally of eight goals and four assists in 19 games this season so far has impressed a lot of people.
Because of this brilliant form, it had been expected that our No.9 would be selected for the World Cup but this possibility has now been ruled out by Ian Doyle.
Taking to his Twitter account, the Liverpool Echo reporter wrote: ‘#LFC forward Roberto Firmino has been left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup.
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‘Alisson Becker and Fabinho have both been included. Means #LFC will have at most one attacking player – Darwin Nunez of Uruguay – in the competition’.
This update will be a big blow for the Brazilian, as it is likely the final opportunity he will have to represent his nation at the competition and so may even spell the end of his career on the international stage.
This is probably news that the 31-year-old would have expected at the start of the season but given his upturn in form and selection in the last set of international friendlies, there would have been some hope that he could make the cut.
However, when this news is viewed through red tinted glasses, it can easily be seen as a positive because we now have another forward player who is due to receive an elongated rest in the middle of the campaign.
As Jurgen Klopp’s side look to be putting a run of positive results together at a good time, let’s hope this continues against Derby and Southampton and then we can rest a host of players for the return of our football in late December.
The personal loss for many players will be tough for them to take but let’s hope that the positives to come from this will be seen in a red shirt.
You can view the Firmino Brazil update via @IanDoyleSport on Twitter:
Alisson Becker and Fabinho have both been included. Means #LFC will have at most one attacking player – Darwin Nunez of Uruguay – in the competition 🔴
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) November 7, 2022
It not surprising, considering how many high quality and in-form forwards Brasil have. What surprises me is the inclusion of Fabinho. He’s been awful this season for Liverpool and also played very few minutes in the WC qualifiers for Brasil.