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Roberto Firmino’s work rate and total understanding of the Jurgen Klopp system has meant he has been the first name on the teamsheet for most of the German’s three-year reign at Anfield. The 26-year-old also has the ability to force defenders into making mistakes and he seems just as happy to create a goal than he is to score one, meaning he has been undroppable in recent times.
After the 2-1 win at Spurs though, Firmino’s eye injury meant he could only make the bench against French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and that’s where Daniel Sturridge proved to Reds fans that he was well and truly back, even if it was down to the Brazilian to come off the bench and win the game in the last minute.
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This winner against PSG and his performance against Chelsea in the league on Saturday though have been at this high-level thanks to the rest he gets when Klopp decides to start Sturridge.
Last season, Dominic Solanke was Liverpool’s only real back-up to Firmino and the former Hoffenheim man ended up making a quite incredible 54 appearances in all competitions. It’s not that he is being dropped this season, but that Klopp can now trust Sturridge to start and allow Firmino to rest so that he is at his best in the big games.
This was the case in the midweek Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea, when the Englishman started and scored an acrobatic opener before Firmino was thrown on for the last 20 minutes to give Sadio Mane a rest. This meant that he was able to start the league game between the two sides on the weekend with his usual high intensity.
Firmino made four key passes at Stamford Bridge and would have been frustrated that Mohamed Salah and Mane couldn’t finish any of the chances he provided them with. The Brazilian international also had two shots himself, but the Reds were not at their most clinical and it eventually took Sturridge’s late stunner for them to cancel out Eden Hazard’s first-half opener, proving that he too is benefitting from the rotation.
The two tackles that Firmino completed in the game are further evidence if anyone still needed it that even when he might not be firing, he is an absolute nightmare for defenders to play against. If Liverpool are to challenge for the title this season, having two top strikers who can rotate like Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero at Manchester City is an absolute must and the early signs from Sturridge and Firmino are certainly promising.
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