Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher told talkSPORT that he believes Jurgen Klopp needs to drop striker Roberto Firmino.
Though Firmino’s influence in Liverpool’s attack has never been doubted, it’s not a good look for him when Diogo Jota has stepped into the side and immediately outperformed him in terms of direct goal contributions.
Jota, signed from Wolves over the summer, has given Klopp plenty to think about in attack. At the Etihad over the weekend, the German opted to start both him and Jota – but is four in attack sustainable?
Jamie Carragher does not appear to think so, or rather he thinks that it’s time that Firmino spent some time on the bench. He’s quoted by talkSPORT saying:
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“Firmino isn’t in great form right now but that could change if Liverpool get to a final, but I don’t think he was in great form last season either.”
“Even though Liverpool won the league, certain things got masked. Firmino didn’t score a goal at home in the Premier League until the last game until Chelsea.”
“Liverpool fans are educated enough to know that Firmino’s role is not to be scoring the goals. Liverpool’s goalscorers play wide and they know he can create, win the ball back and start the press. But even when I looked at his pressing stats last weekend, they aren’t the numbers they usually are.”
“It doesn’t mean if he goes out and Jota goes in that that’s the end of his career. He should just sit on the bench for three or four games.”
Though dropping Firmino would no doubt be difficult for Klopp, with the Brazilian playing a significant role in all recent successes, it could be for the greater good, as the Reds look to push-on from their title win.
Jota looks to be a gem – so he has to start – and realistically, that’s not going to be at the expense of Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah.