Danny Higginbotham has explained just how important Roberto Firmino is to Liverpool, labelling him as “key” for the side.
He says that it is important for the Brazilian forward to return to the team despite the likes of Sadio Mane impressing in the 5-0 win over Watford on Wednesday, highlighting his ability to find gaps and get in between players.
Higginbotham adds that it is the workrate of the 27-year-old off the ball that is particularly impressive, whilst also impressing how intelligent his movement is.
“Mane came into the team in that position [in attack] yesterday, and he did an incredible job with the goals that he got. But against [Manchester] United, what Firmino does well is…if there is a little bit of a gap, he is more than happy to drop [back],” he told Sky Sports.
“The problem then is the centre-back. If you go tight with him, then all of a sudden there is space there [between the centre-back and the full-back]. That then becomes a real problem for you as a player and as a defensive unit.
“Firmino does that really well. He’s called the engine of the team from [Jurgen] Klopp, I’ve heard him say that before and rightly so, because it’s a lot of the work that he does off the ball. Now the other situation is if the centre-backs say that they are going to stay nice and compact.
“He gets the ball, makes the turn and then he can pick the pass himself. So his movement is very intelligent.”
OPINION
It is safe to say that Liverpool coped rather well with the absence of Firmino in their 5-0 rout of Watford on Wednesday. They did not seem to miss him in the slightest with the likes of Divock Origi playing up front with the likes of Sadio Mane, who was unbelievable with the impact he made. However, that does not suddenly mean that Firmino is no longer important to the team – they may have done well without him, but the impact he makes is still valuable. It will be valuable if he is ready to return for the game against Everton this Sunday, just as Higginbotham has pointed out. The way he is able to form gaps to get himself into is the sign of a very good player, and the ability to have a good work rate off the ball is also very helpful. He says that Klopp calls him the engine of the team – something the Reds star has proven many times this season.
