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The scale of Liverpool’s annihilation by Aston Villa yesterday cannot be attributed to one or two people. Adrian, it is true, set the chaotic chain of events in motion with a completely avoidable mistake in just three minutes. It’s true, both centers were pretty lousy. It is true that the midfield was practically non-existent, providing neither protection for defense nor a platform for attack.
From start to finish, the form of the Liverpool team was disarranged and disjointed, leaving too many gaps for Villa to wander and explode. There wasn’t enough pressure on the ball, while the poorly executed high line served as a recipe for disaster, time and time again. Altogether, it was the poorest performance ever produced under Jürgen Klopp, and responsibility must be shared accordingly.
All that said, there is a must-have conversation around Roberto Firmino right now. Let’s clear this up first: Firmino is one of, if not the Most influential player in Klopp’s general reign. The team has built around him as the centerpiece to such an extent that he defines the system more than any other player. He was virtually omnipresent in Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League glory, and he also won the Club World Cup almost single-handedly.
Too often he has been the one setting the tone from the front lines, helping Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah to be as devastatingly effective as they are. What he lacked in direct goal production he more than made up for with his comprehensive contribution in terms of recovering the ball high up on the field and creating space and opportunities for others with his vision and movement intelligence. That is why he has been a figure in Liverpool’s rapid rise to the top of the game over the past five years.
Against Aston Villa, however, he was little more than an empty jersey, in truth, strangely incapable of completing even the most basic actions (though his one moment of genuine quality created Salah’s second goal of the night). His first touch was repeatedly heavy and resulted in him frequently losing possession in dangerous areas, culminating directly in the attack from which Jack Grealish made it 6-1.
He made just 19 accurate passes, the lowest of any Liverpool player who started, with an overall pass accuracy of just 68%, and with the only very presentable opportunity he had to score in the first half, he shot straight at Emi Martinez. with total lack of conviction and precision. On several occasions when he could have chosen a teammate in space, he instead meekly rolled the ball directly into the path of a Villa defender.
If it had been just once, it would be easier to leave this as a really bad day at the office for Firmino as part of a terrible team performance in which most of his teammates were also well below average. The point is that these days off in which Firmino struggles to generate some kind of positive impact have become more and more regular over the last year.
That’s not to say that he still hasn’t been great on numerous occasions – Newcastle (home), Leicester (away) and Southampton (home) were great examples last season, but there hasn’t really been a 10-15 game streak. consistent. of Firmino’s brilliance for quite some time. In fact, he has only scored two goals in his last 23 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions since the end of January.
A dry run in front of goal is one thing, but in games like yesterday, when he offers very little else on and off the ball, it becomes a real problem. Indeed, it felt as if Liverpool were essentially a man down in attack for much of the game against Villa, as Firmino was neither a threat in his area nor remotely effective in deeper areas.
Identify a root cause for why Firmino has been out of the boil for so long that it’s really tough. Could it be that accumulating 244 occurrences of extremely High intensity football for Liverpool in a very physically demanding role for the last five seasons with very little rest, while also playing regularly for Brazil, are you catching up now? Is it as simple as a continued lack of confidence, or is there perhaps something in the way that opposition teams are tactically preparing to nullify it in a way that didn’t used to happen so often? Do you need stronger competition to push you for your spot on the side? Could this be the beginning of a gradual and natural regression, or is it just a prolonged losing streak before we see him again in his prime?
In any case, his skill hasn’t evaporated and he’s still a phenomenal footballer when he’s at it. Right now, however, he’s not quite into it. One option might be to change the system to 4-2-3-1 and put it back at No. 10 to see if that reignites any kind of spark.
Perhaps he would actually benefit from being taken off the side during a few games, with Takumi Minamino giving him a shot in the middle. Or maybe you just need to get back in shape and will be fine again once you score a goal or two.
Either way, it’s a question Liverpool will have to find an answer to, sooner rather than later.
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