Tony Cascarino implied that stopping Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino was the key to stopping Jurgen Klopp’s side after the 3-1 win over Arsenal.
The pundit when analysing Arsenal’s loss to Liverpool pointed out that the Brazilian forward dropped into midfield 20 or 30 times and yet no Gunners player took the responsibility of picking him up.
Cascarino then added that Firmino was vital for Liverpool before saying that he must be shackled by opponents if they want to stop the Reds excelling.
“Roberto Firmino must have dropped into midfield 20 or 30 times and there was no one taking responsibility for picking him up,” wrote Cascarino for the Times.
“He’s so vital for Liverpool, he must be shackled to stop them.”
OPINION
Firmino may not have got on the scoresheet against Arsenal, but Cascarino certainly believes he played his part in Arsenal slumping to a 3-1 loss courtesy of the Reds. The 27-year-old averaged a rating of 7.01 on Saturday, as per WhoScored, and was a constant thorn in the Gunners’ side. Firmino carved out enough space to have six attempts at goal, which kept Arsenal on their toes, attempted two dribbles, and made 44 passes, which was more than both his fellow attackers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane (Source: WhoScored). While Firmino may rather be stealing the headlines by hitting the back on a regular basis, although it’s worth noting he has got one goal in three league outings this season so far, there’s no doubt that fans, pundit and mostly importantly Klopp appreciate the job he does for his side. Given that Cascarino is right to point out how Firmino is potentially the key to stopping the Reds, as arguably he can be the supply line for his fellow attackers, hopefully not many rival managers read the pundit’s column in the Times.
