Why Liverpool’s patience with this Brazilian forward will pay off

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When Roberto Firmino arrived at Liverpool for £29 million last summer, many saw the acquisition as a major coup for the Reds with the Brazilian attracting a lot of interest following an impressive spell with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. However, Firmino struggled to settle in England initially, scoring just a solitary goal in his first 24 Liverpool appearances and being used sparingly by Brendan Rodgers in the first few months of the campaign.

There have been positive signs recently and the Brazilian has been continually improving under Jurgen Klopp as he starts to become accustomed to his team-mates and the nature of the league. Firmino has been a much more prominent figure under the German, albeit primarily in an unfamiliar role as the main striker rather than his favoured second striker position. Despite this, he has been able to link up well with the other attacking players and has managed to bring more of his team-mates into the game than Christian Benteke, one of the Belgian’s major criticisms. This was particularly evident in the impressive wins at Chelsea and Manchester City with Firmino tormenting the City back four as he opened his Liverpool account at the 14^th time of asking.

However, the Brazilian’s sluggish form returned and he followed the impressive game at the Etihad with a 10 game goal-less streak whilst his team-mates only managed a total of eight, the same number that Watford, Newcastle and West Brom scored against the Reds during that period.

This patchy form has led many people questioning Firmino and particularly his price tag, although Christian Benteke has helped take plenty of the pressure off. However, the two new signings haven’t been the only Liverpool players struggling this season and despite the criticism he has received, the former Hoffenheim man has arguably been Liverpool’s best attacking player. The Brazilian is averaging more goals (0.40), assists (0.34) and chances created (2.29) per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Philippe Countinho, Jordan Ibe, Adam Lallana and James Milner.

Firmino’s performances in January have also provided plenty of cause for optimism too, with four goals in as many league games seeing him nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award. He extended his current run to five in five with another strike against Sunderand and has only been underpinned by Liverpool’s defensive fragilities. This has meant that a first half double against Arsenal and that opening strike against Sundeland only saw Liverpool pick up two points.

Whilst he has only performed in glimpses so far, the range of goals scored by the Brazilian is also very encouraging. His latest run has had at least one right foot, left foot and headed effort including a 25-yard wonder strike and composure in the penalty area, something Liverpool have been in desperate need of so far this season.

Firmino isn’t the first foreign import to struggle with his adaptation to the Premier League either, with Mesut Özil providing a perfect example of why patience is needed. The German averaged 0.38 assists per 90 minutes in his debut campaign which dropped to 0.24 the following year, an average of 0.31 which actually slightly lower than Firmino’s number this campaign. This year, Ozil’s numbers have jumped up to 0.72 assists per game as he finally becomes accustomed to a new league.

One of the major criticisms often aimed at foreign imports; including the former Real Madrid midfielder, is that their work rate is not high enough. Whilst Firmino may not be quite like Luis Suarez in his running desire, he has shown more than enough to encourage Kopites such as the closing down of Billy Jones’ clearance before setting up Adam Lallana for Liverpool’s second against The Mackems last weekend.

Considering their poor run of form and lowly league standing, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp will already be looking towards the 2016-17 season and in particular the summer transfer window. The Reds’ are one of the few teams with their managerial position settled and in place, so Firmino can work with Jurgen Klopp throughout the remainder of this campaign safe in the knowledge he will have the same manager in the dugout when August rolls around.

Many of the Liverpool side are currently playing for their futures and with none of the current full time squad being Jurgen Klopp signings (Steven Caulker in on loan and Marko Grujic loaned back to Red Star Belgrade the only two January incomings) there could be numerous changes lined up. However, Klopp was rumoured to be interested in signing Firmino when he was in charge of Borussia Dortmund so the Brazilian is clearly a player that he is impressed by and his recent performances will be something that will be catching the manager’s attention. This is reinforced by Klopp’s declaration that he saw Firmino as a genuine option up-front, rather than just the stop-gap that many fans believed.

The German was known for working with and nurturing some of the best talent in the Bundesliga – Lewandowski, Reus, Götze and many more besides – and it is likely he will embrace trying to do a similar thing with Firmino in the Premier League. Klopp is also realistic and will know that time and patience will be required but Firmino offers a spark that many of this current Liverpool team don’t have. That spark will need to arrive more often as more consistency is required but the Brazilian has shown enough in recent weeks to suggest he has the skill and vision to become a creative force for Liverpool

Once he is more used to the pace of the Premier League, Firmino has the potential to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s top players. However, fans will need to remain patient and give the Brazilian time to reach this level.

Featured image: All rights reserved by LFC Season 2015-16.