Roberto Firmino’s performance against Manchester United has called for one ex-player to suggest that this will be his final year at the club.
The Brazilian started up front in the absence of the suspended Darwin Nunez and injured Diogo Jota but struggled to make any sort of impact on the game.
Firmino has been an incredible player for Liverpool over the years but has since struggled in recent seasons and is now in the final year of his deal which looks less and less certain to be renewed.
Ex-Liverpool legend turned star pundit Jamie Carragher discussed it on Monday Night Football on the Sky Sports coverage of Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to United.
Pep Guardiola got a lot of criticism for selling a ton of veterans in his first year, but the fact is, he wouldn’t be starting Milner, Henderson and Firmino in 2022.
Jürgen Klopp has worked miracles at Liverpool, but his loyalty to certain players is clearly holding them back.
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) August 23, 2022
Roberto Firmino vs United
Speaking on the Sky Sports TV coverage, Carragher explained that this could well be his last season based on last night’s performance.
“I think with Roberto Firmino, it’s pretty obvious. He’s going to see out this year and probably move for free.”
An unforgiving stat from WhoScored states that Fabio Carvalho has managed more shots in 40 minutes of playing time in the Premier League this season (4) than Firmino has in 141 minutes (1) – it’s clear he has struggled so far this season.
The photo below (The Athletic) shows just how deep Firmino came on average to receive the ball. This ‘simply clogged the central spaces’ and did not allow Mohamed Salah or Luis Diaz to really come into play.
Roberto Firmino Touch Map vs United @The Athletic
Still only 30, he still played a big part last season with 11 goals and five assists across 35 games but his presence was felt less. After all, he only started 10 PL games last year.
The season before last (20/21) he started 33 PL games and 34 games in the title-winning season of 2019/20. His role has lessened even more since the arrival of Nunez, as he also falls below Jota in the striking pecking order.
If it is to be his final year then he’ll still have a big role to play given how injuries have already occurred plus the cup competitions which typically see rotation. Of course, he’s in line to start the next two games as Nunez settles his suspension.
A lot of players have had tricky starts to the season in Liverpool’s side and we back Firmino to show signs of life this weekend as they look to bounce back against Bournemouth.
