Liverpool have signed six players already this summer, getting down to business nice and early. Brendan Rodgers, eager to avoid last summer’s poor transfer window which doomed Liverpool to a disappointing finish in the Premier League this past season, has gone hell for leather on his targets and signed them up.
For that, at least, he deserves some credit. However, none of his six signings made quite as big a splash as the acquisition of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim. The 23-year-old playmaker, who is currently away on a holiday after the Copa America duty with Brazil, will complete the reported £29-million move (including the £11m towards third-party ownership) on his return to Europe.
It’s an impressive capture for Liverpool, who have reportedly beaten big rivals Manchester United to seal the signature of one of the most sought-after players in European football this summer.
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The Brazilian international becomes their all-time second-most expensive player after Andy Carroll and they will certainly be hoping that he makes more of an impression than the former Newcastle United forward.
Capable of playing out wide or through the middle or up front, Firmino is a perfect fit for Liverpool and should fit well into Rodgers’ system. At the same time, it will be interesting to see if his arrival paves the way for Raheem Sterling’s departure, with the England international wanting a move away from Anfield for a few months.
With that in mind, we examine why the Brazilian is right to choose Liverpool over others and why he is the right man for them..
The right choice for Firmino
On the face of it, the decision to choose Liverpool over Manchester United, who were linked heavily earlier in the summer, seems an odd one, given that the Old Trafford club will once again be playing in the Champions League next season, while the Merseysiders will have to be content with the Europa League after falling out of the top four last season.
However, moving to a big and an ambitious club targeting a return to European football’s elite is exactly what the 23-year-old needs at this stage in his career, having played for a mid-table team in the Bundesliga for most part of his career.
Liverpool are the perfect fit for Firmino compared to United, given their overabundance of attacking talent with the likes of Juan Mata, Angel di Maria, Memphis Depay, Ashley Young and Adnan Januzaj, all vying a starting place and it would’ve by no means been a certainty that he would’ve been a regular in Louis van Gaal’s side.
At the same time, the Dutchman’s preference to play a 4-3-3 would’ve also not suited his style as he would’ve either been forced into playing as an out-and-out winger or as a part of a midfield three, which would’ve limited his impact on the game.
While at Anfield, with Sterling set to depart this summer, Liverpool’s creative options are largely limited to Phillipe Coutinho, who was named as their player of the year last season, and Adam Lallana, who had an inconsistent start to his career at the club following his big money from Southampton, meaning Firmino is likely to become a key member of the team under Rodgers and could also be considered as a replacement for the want-away youngster.
A replacement for Sterling?
Sterling has been one of Liverpool’s best players over the past 18-months and although Firmino would not offer the same pace and width that the Englishman provides, but he is more than capable of replacing him on the pitch. He has been a consistent threat in the Bundesliga for some time now and had another superb season in 2014/15.
The Hoffenheim man scored the same number of goals as the young winger and racked up three more assists in two fewer appearances, with only two players able to better his tally in terms of assists in Germany’s top-flight.
Elsewhere Firmino (139) completed the fourth-most successful dribbles in Europe’s top five leagues ahead of both Coutinho (109) and Sterling (103), and only behind Bayer Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi (156) in the Bundesliga.
His ability to glide past the onrushing defenders and finding pockets of space between the opposition’s midfield and defence, would certainly make up for any potential sale of Sterling. Ranked among the top 10 players for shots per game (95), key passes per game (68), clear-cut chances created (13) and assists (10), it’s clear that he is the complete package in an attacking sense.
Paired with this, however, is another aspect of his game that made him the primary transfer target for Liverpool this summer, and that is his work ethic and defensive qualities which proved crucial to a Hoffenhiem side that don’t always see a great deal of the ball.
Marcus Christenson did an analysis of Firmino for the Guardian following the announcement of the forward’s signing, describing him as “a thiever of balls who never stops running.” Having a look at it, this testament sounds very similar to that of former Liverpool star Luis Suarez.
Firmino, he is not an out-and-out goalscorer. What he does provide, though, is an unrelenting work ethic. In that respect, he is similar to Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez. He will harry and press the opponents until he drops. In one match report in Germany he was described as the “clever, first stealer of balls in Hoffenheim’s pressing system.
Holger Stanislawski, his first manager at Hoffenheim, immediately described him as being “unbelievably good tactically”, which will be music to Brendan Rodgers’ ears after a season of having to teach Mario Balotelli, among other things, how to defend at corners.
In fact he has been showered with praise for most of his time in Germany, the papers describing him as one of few players “who stay focused for the entire 90 minutes” and a “master of moving around without anyone noticing him, to provide goals or score them himself”.
The versatile Brazilian
With Liverpool performing their very best in the 2013/14 season with a high pressing approach, the Brazilian could help to replace the sort of determined defensive work from the front that they have lacked since the departure of the Uruguayan.
Firmino made more tackles per game (2.7) than any other attacking midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues last season and also won the possession in the attacking third 28 times, which, given his attacking involvement, is quite the feat.
The Reds lacked the urgency in their press last season that proved to be so effective the season previous, and he may well reignite it again.
Another key element of Firmino’s game is his versatility in being able to play in a variety of attacking roles which will make him an important part of Rodgers’ thinking. Although his best position is playing as a No.10, he is also more than capable of playing anywhere across the front three, and crucially, he can do the job up front too, a position where Sterling was used regularly last season in the absence of Daniel Sturridge and the unreliability of Mario Balotelli.
He has often been played as a striker for Brazil and his 23 league goals in the last two seasons suggest he is confident in front of goal and is capable of finding the back of the net for his side.
Firmino might take some time to settle in the country and occasionally get outmuscled, but he has the courage and determination to deal with it and in theory should not struggle in the Premier League given its similarities to the Bundesliga.
Coutinho-Firmino partnership
Another plus-point for Liverpool and a thing to watch will be his on-field relationship with Coutinho, as the two complimented each other nicely in Neymar’s absence for Brazil in the Copa America.
Like his compatriot, he has an eye for a penetrative pass and the ability to slice open defences which will surely benefit the pace of Sturridge or Danny Ings in behind the opposition back line, and his arrival will surely lighten the load from Coutinho’s shoulder.
It’s a major coup for Liverpool, one that shows great intent, especially after missing out on a number of top targets in the previous windows. The £29m fee is eye-watering considering it is almost as much as Chelsea and Arsenal paid for Diego Costa and Sanchez respectively, but there is no doubt he is an extremely talented youngster who is still improving, is a perfect fit for the club and will be an exciting addition to the league.
And, while the fee does seem a lot, if Sterling joins Manchester City for a fee of around £45-50m then the Reds will have got a more consistent performer and made a huge profit in the process. They will surely settle for that, and if the Englishman stays, then the opposing defences will be having a nightmare next season.
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