Liverpool legend John Aldridge has claimed that striker Roberto Firmino has been ‘off the boil’ this season, and called on the Brazil international to step up to the plate soon.
Firmino has scored just three goals in all competitions so far this season, with two assists on top of that as the Reds attacking force has struggled to hit the heights of last term.
Aldridge has now highlighted Firmino’s lack of contribution as an issue for the Reds, and urged Jurgen Klopp to play the £180,000-a-week star [Total Sportek] against Huddersfield and give him a chance to find some form.
In a column for the Liverpool Echo, he said: “Roberto Firmino for his part, he maybe needs to start coming to the table now. He’s been off the boil a touch of late and he was left on the bench for Brazil when they beat Saudi Arabia last week, so he should still be fresh.
“We need him to get his form back quickly, because he is a big player for Jurgen Klopp, so maybe he shouldn’t be rested against Huddersfield.”
OPINION
It is clear for all to see that the Liverpool front three are yet to find their form from the previous campaign, with none of the trio looking anywhere close to being at the top of their game. Sadio Mane has been the one to impress most so far this season, with the Senegal international netting on a regular basis for the Reds. Mohamed Salah has not looked himself on the other flank, with the Egyptian making the right runs and getting into the right positions but failing to find that magic finishing touch. Firmino has had a similar season in many ways to Salah, with the Brazilian looking well out of form for much of the campaign so far. His numbers from last season – 27 goals and 17 assists in all competitions – look a long shot already, and the 27-year-old does need to step up soon. It will be interesting to see what happens if Firmino fails to find some form, with alternative striker Daniel Sturridge scoring some wonderful goals this season.
