Analysing Roberto Firmino’s two-goal display in Liverpool’s defeat to Swansea City

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Saturday afternoon produced a shock result in the Premier League as Liverpool lost to relegation-threatened Swansea City. Their defence has been a concern all season and their frailties were brought under the microscope this afternoon for all to see. Opposition teams are beginning to understand how to play against Liverpool and the home side’s problems were compounded by an attack that was too predictable. That said, Roberto Firmino was excellent and managed to haul his side back into the game after they went 2-0 down.

The Brazilian has become one of the key players under Jurgen Klopp, as he combines tireless hard work with attacking threat. Both were on show against Swansea and he deserves a lot of credit for his performance, despite the disappointing result. He played as the centre forward, which has become his best position since Klopp took over as manager in 2015. In recent weeks, he has been used as an inside forward, with Divock Origi leading the line, but the return of Philippe Coutinho has allowed him to move back to a central role. This is his most effective position as he has the freedom to move into pockets of space, while he isn’t limited to staying on one side of the attack.

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It was his goal-scoring that will take the headlines once again as he scored two excellent goals to get his side back on level terms, before a Gylfi Sigurdsson goal secured the three points for the visitors. Firmino’s first goal was a very good header that showed both his aerial ability and how he has improved physically since coming to England. The Brazilian wouldn’t have been able to score that goal during his first few months in England, but he has now adjusted and able to compete physically. Meanwhile, the second goal was even better, as he struck a powerful effort past Lukasz Fabianski after a great turn earned him space in the Swansea penalty area. He attempted six shots in all during the match, highlighting the constant threat that he poses.

His passing was impressive throughout as he finished the match with a pass success rate of 86%. Firmino showed signs of his creativity with his impressive link-up play. The Brazilian nearly got an assist after an excellent cross was met by an overhead kick from Adam Lallana. It was an excellent piece of skill from Firmino and showed that he is capable of creating chances, in addition to the goal threat that he has. In addition to his impressive link-up play, Firmino showed himself to be a dangerous dribbler against Swansea City, with the 25-year-old completing six of his seven attempted dribbles.

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One important attribute that every player needs to possess in order to be a success in a Jurgen Klopp side is being able to work hard off-the-ball. Firmino has bought into the German’s philosophy and is brilliant at pressing from the front line. He never stops running for his team-mates and that is why he is Klopp’s preferred starter at centre forward. During this match, he completed three tackles, showing that he is capable of winning the ball back for his team.

Firmino has had a good season up to now and has now moved onto eight league goals this campaign. Liverpool’s strength is that their team is filled with goal-scorers and they don’t have to become reliant on any one individual. Although Firmino is their first choice centre forward, his game doesn’t revolve around goals. The Brazilian is a complete attacker, who is able to score and create goals, in addition to possessing a tireless work rate that allows him to contribute to his side’s defensive work. It was a poor day for Liverpool, but a good one for Firmino as an individual. He will be hoping that he can build on this performance over the coming weeks.

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