Roberto Firmino Is Doing Fine (Probably)

Over the past year the goals have dried up for Liverpool’s
number nine, but it’s probably nothing to worry about.

Last night’s thriller against Leeds United had winners and losers that were aptly identified
by fellow TLO contributor Mark Kastner. Beyond the usual suspects,
though, there was one undercurrent amongst many Liverpool fans that didn’t make it on to many
post-match lists – is Roberto Firmino okay?

The whispers were heard and seen mostly on Twitter, but they
have been around for a while when it comes to Liverpool’s
non-standard number nine.

Beloved to the squad, to his country and to most of the
Liverpool fanbase, Firmino is most frequently misunderstood by
rival fans who perhaps do not observe his game closely week after
week, or by factions of our fan base who evaluate players solely on
the basis of goal output. Which may not be the be best way to
assess a player who everyone seems to agree is a striker who does
not score goals, or at least whose value is not defined by
them.

Admirers love him for his quick feet that can dribble, twirl,
and change direction to break past webs of defenders at speed and
retain possession. Or the composure with which he can receive a
heavy pass, control the ball, and slot it into the net. Or his work
rate and defensive prowess at the other end of the field – in 2018
he won more tackles in the league than each of Liverpool’s
defenders. Or his skillful reading of the game that allows him to
run ahead into good positions anticipating a chance. Or the famous
“no-look” tap-ins and back-heel passes. I could go on.

As someone I know once put it, Liverpool from 2018 onwards have
had a ‘spine’ that starts with Alisson Becker, moves on to Virgil
Van Dijk and Fabinho, and finally to Firmino. It’s a spine that,
one could say, stabilizes the whole system.

Recently his goal output has been on the decline somewhat – in
2019/20 he scored 12 goals in all competitions, down from 16 in
2018/19 and 27 in 2017/18. Last season only two of these goals were
scored at home in Anfield – one in the Champions
League

Last night’s game saw him register zero shots on target against
Leeds United along with a few wasteful misses, to the frustration
of some fans. The first came at a little under the 2^nd
minute as a pass from Mane, and another around the 53^rd
minute. The most glaring miss of them all was a ball played through
from the back by Joe Gomez in the 86^th minute that was
delivered to Firmino in front of a near open net with just one
defender and the goalkeeper positioned in between – a shot he might
have scored on any other night with his head turned away from
goal.

This reflects in his stats as well – Firmino had the highest xG
of his career in the 2019/20 season as per Understat,
at 16.69 for the Premier League, but he scored just nine times in
the league, falling short by 7.69 goals, resulting in a massive gap
due to very poor finishing.

What comes foremost to mind is a lack of confidence in front of
goal – a touch too many, mishandling the ball in pressure
situations, and the lack of a clinical edge that results in
misdirected shots. Extremely un-Firmino like traits.

What has not changed however, is his work rate and his
consistent involvement in Klopp’s pressing game. As Richard Jolly
observed a few months ago, Firmino tops the
charts among “centre-forwards for most ball recoveries that lead to
a shot within 20 seconds” which still makes him “both the busiest
and the best striker in possession”.

His finishing is lacking at the moment, but his role in
Liverpool’s furious engine, and the energy he brings on the pitch
are unchanged. With the season warming up in the coming weeks, we
can only hope that he continues to create chances, and also finds
the confidence and edge that allows him to assertively score the
flamboyant Bobby Firmino goals that we know and look forward
to.