Pre-covid article:
Why Roberto Firmino's huge goal drought doesn't matter and proves he is ideal Liverpool strikerThe Brazilian's lack of home goals are worrying some supporters, but the surprise stat is non reflection of his performances or his efficacy in Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool system.
29 games. Eight goals. Zero at home. It’s not the season one typically expects of a number nine for a Premier League title winning side.
Scoring has always been an issue for the perception of Roberto Firmino. ( Edit: Al 666) His first season at Anfield saw him net 10 in the league, enough to make him the club’s top scorer, though not exactly something to shout about. But this was fine as he was usually playing wide or in the number ten role that year. The real story was that Christian Benteke, the man Liverpool signed to be a Proper Number Nine™, couldn’t even break double figures.
The following year saw Jürgen Klopp really put his mark on the club’s style of football, and that meant a move for the Brazilian. In the new 4-3-3 system, Firmino was suddenly leading the line, flanked by Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mané. He was there for two reasons. The first was his almost unique pressing ability from the striker role. Klopp wasn’t here when Firmino was bought, but he could not have asked for a better pressing forward than the one he inherited. The second is his link-up play. Firmino involves himself a lot in the build up. This allowed Mané and later Mohamed Salah to make movements into the box and score so many goals. That’s not there without Firmino in the false nine role.
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But it comes at a price. In 2016/17, Firmino scored 11 league goals. This would have been considered a very poor season for Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suárez, Fernando Torres, Michael Owen or Robbie Fowler. Indeed, plenty of Liverpool fans wanted to see the club sign an “out-and-out” striker in the vein of those names that summer. Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards ignored them.
Instead, they signed someone who would actually score those goals in Salah. You remember very well that he scored 32 goals that year, a record over a 38-game season, but you’ve probably forgotten that Firmino bagged 15. It’s an improvement, and yet the striker still scored less than half as many as the right winger. Salah was down the next year with 22, but Firmino was still well short of him at 12.
And so we get to this season, with just eight so far, all away from Anfield. Does it really matter where the goals come? Not really. They all count the same. And it’s not something that really carries over season-to-season. Gini Wijnaldum couldn’t score away from home until he did. It’ll happen for Firmino at Anfield.
It’s not for lack of trying on the attacker’s part. Per Understat, Firmino has run up a total of 7.99 expected goals at Anfield this season, despite scoring none. Away from home, his xG is similar at 7.22, but he has found the net eight times. Either he woke up one morning and suddenly lost the ability to finish at Anfield but retained it everywhere else, or it’s just a strange coincidence that will even itself out over time.
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Nobody is really questioning any other aspect of Firmino’s performances, and rightly so. Liverpool generally don’t use a natural playmaker in midfield, preferring more industrious options, and Firmino is a big part of that system. You can afford a lack of incisive passing from these players when your striker is dropping deep and providing it himself. When he does this, it in turn creates space for Salah and Mané to provide the goalscoring threat in behind that they do. Of course, his pressing is everything. Liverpool just can’t create the transition opportunities that exist without him. He’s the human embodiment of what Klopp wants his team to do on the pitch. Liverpool don’t exist without him.
It might agitate people when he doesn’t score so many goals. ( Edit: Al 666) It agitates me when he misses good chances. But it really doesn’t matter that much. There’s no one out there who could provide what he does better than Firmino.
https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-roberto-firmino-news-goals-17891883