Why Roberto Firmino Is Liverpool's Ideal Forward to Complement Daniel Sturridge
The arrival of Roberto Firmino at Liverpool this summer is one that has been heralded by supporters as the marquee signing to propel the Reds back towards the Premier League's top four, and this can be aided by his complementing of star striker Daniel Sturridge.
Firmino, 23, joined in a deal worth up to £29 million this month, as reported by BBC Sport, and represents Liverpool's second-most expensive signing in their history, behind only £35 million Andy Carroll.
Carroll was swiftly cast aside by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and eventually replaced by Sturridge in January 2013.
That pair would have been something of a disaster, with the lumbering target man Carroll jarring with the intelligent movement of Sturridge, who needs to be serviced with the ball on the floor to truly thrive.
Now, however, Liverpool possess a forward who can complement Sturridge perfectly.
At £29 million, Firmino can be considered something of a risk by the Reds this summer, but he moves to Merseyside with considerable pedigree, as well as immense potential to suggest that he can very much justify their outlay. Joining from 1899 Hoffenheim, Firmino already boasts four-and-a-half seasons worth of Bundesliga experience, as well as a blossoming role in Dunga's Brazil side.
He is a highly versatile forward, capable of playing all across the front line. In 2013/14, he operated as a false nine for Hoffenheim, for example, the same role he now assumes for his international side; in 2014/15, he was largely utilised as a No. 10, with sporadic appearances in a wide-left role.
This is likely something that endeared him to Rodgers ahead of his signing this summer.
He performs this variety of roles with remarkable consistency, too. Last season he averaged 4.3 dribbles, 2.1 key passes, 2.3 aerial duels and 2.9 shots on goal per 90 minutes in the league, as well as scoring seven goals and making 10 assists in his 33 appearances. He is a high-level forward option who, at 23, looks set to develop into one of European football's most-feared attacking talents.
Paired with this, however, is another aspect of his game that made him an obvious target for the Reds this summer: his work rate and defensive quality.
Marcus Christenson wrote an overview of Firmino for the Guardian following the announcement of the forward's signing, describing him as "a thiever of balls who never stops running." On the face of it, this testimony sounds similar to that of former Liverpool star Luis Suarez.
"[Firmino] is not an out-and-out goalscorer," Christenson continued. "What he does provide, though, is an unrelenting work ethic. In that respect, he is similar to Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez. He will harry and press the opponents until he drops. In one match report in Germany he was described as the 'clever, first stealer of balls in Hoffenheim’s pressing system.'"
Christenson furthers the Suarez comparison by relaying: "He has been showered with praise for most of his time in Germany, the papers describing him as one of few players 'who stay focused for the entire 90 minutes' and a 'master of moving around without anyone noticing him, to provide goals or score them himself.'"
A dribble-happy, all-round forward talent with a formidable work rate and never-say-die attitude, Firmino is very much in the mould of Sturridge's ideal partner in the forward line.
Sturridge is currently in Boston as he recovers from hip surgery, according to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, and he is not set to return to action for the Reds until mid-October. But, after a miserable run of injuries in 2014/15 disrupted his contribution to Liverpool's ill-fated top-four charge, many will expect him to hit the ground running when he next puts on the No. 15 shirt.
This is largely due to his status as Liverpool's goalscoring phenomenon: a player who has so far scored 35 goals in 56 league appearances for the Reds.
He is someone that Rodgers relies on heavily and has high hopes for, as the manager told Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo in March of last year. "He's a terrific boy, a very humble young man. He has belief and confidence, which the best players have. He's only 24 (Note: he is now 25), but he's shown world-class traits," he said.
"He has the tools to be world class. He needs to keep proving it on the field consistently. He is deserving of the award, because he has been top class."
These tools are his pace, intelligent movement, dynamic on-ball presence and a deadly finishing ability. He typically takes up a position off the shoulder of the opposing centre-backs, waiting for balls threaded through or over the back line, allowing him to be in the comfortable position of being one-on-one with the goalkeeper; he is the archetypal poacher.
But, as the plethora of sides that have taken on poacher extraordinaire Darren Bent over the past 15 years have quickly found out, a player of this skill set cannot work alone.
They need a player able to complement their talents, and this is something that proved difficult when Sturridge lined up for Liverpool last season following the departure of Suarez to Barcelona.
Sturridge only made 12 league appearances for Liverpool in 2014/15, with his campaign hampered by various injuries and fitness troubles. But when he was fit for selection, Rodgers' lack of an able attacking talent to support him with—perhaps barring Raheem Sterling—saw him struggle to impose himself like he did the previous season.
In 2013/14, alongside Suarez, Sturridge scored 21 goals and made seven assists in 29 games. He enjoyed a near-telepathic relationship with the Uruguayan that Suarez described to FourFourTwo (h/t the Mail) last year: "The best thing [about our partnership] is that defences aren't only looking at what Suarez is doing. We create space for each other, and for our team-mates to take advantage of. If we're marked, then it means someone else isn't."
Sturridge's off-ball intelligence was matched by Suarez's all-round excellence: his work ethic, his creativity, his dribbling ability. As La Liga sides are now finding out, Suarez is a fearsome distraction, capable of dominating defences single-handedly—this is why Sturridge enjoyed such a fruitful period alongside him.
With Suarez now in Catalonia, however, Sturridge has struggled. Particularly following his late-January return, which encompassed nine consecutive league appearances, Sturridge cut an isolated figure up front for Rodgers; he wasn't provided the support that Suarez once did.
This saw him regress into the somewhat greedy, shot-happy Sturridge that made himself so dispensable at Chelsea prior to his £12 million move to Merseyside.
He averaged 4.7 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League in 2014/15, compared to 3.9 the previous season, often ignoring options provided by Sterling, Jordon Ibe, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana or Lazar Markovic in order to attempt to trouble the goalkeeper. He was also dispossessed more times per 90 last season (3.4) than in 2013/14 (2.1), as he took too long in offloading the ball or ran himself into defensive cul-de-sacs.
This is likely more due to Rodgers' reluctance to provide Sturridge with a partner in attack—regularly ignoring Mario Balotelli, and not wholly trusting Fabio Borini or Rickie Lambert—than a flaw in the striker's character, but it was a key issue for the Reds.
Liverpool lost their attacking potency, and Sturridge's close-season injury just exacerbated this problem.
Firmino's arrival will hopefully eradicate these issues, and his presence makes for an exciting potential lineup for Rodgers' Liverpool in 2015/16—only made more formidable when Sturridge returns from injury in October.
The 23-year-old's versatility would allow a fluid forward line that would suit any of Rodgers' preferred formations—4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-2-1 and the 4-4-2 diamond have all been favoured by the 42-year-old during his time on Merseyside.
He could take up a left-sided attacking role in the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, or a central role in the 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1, or serve as another striker in the 4-4-2 diamond.
In the former tactical layout, he could cut inside and support Sturridge from wide, providing a distraction from that side of the field; as a No. 10 he could directly overlap the Englishman in a style similar to that of Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud for Arsenal; in the 4-4-2 he could combine perhaps most effectively with Sturridge, with Rodgers utilising his work rate to maximise the talents of Sturridge as poacher.
Each of these would be fuelled by master creator Coutinho, whose presence is as integral to Sturridge's fortunes as Firmino's.
Though he is unlikely to replicate the once-in-a-generation achievements of Suarez in the Liverpool forward line, Firmino's versatility, attacking prowess and invaluable work ethic could see him complement Sturridge perfectly on Merseyside in 2015/16.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
.jpg?w=480 "PATRIOTS-VRABEL")
.jpg?w=600 "Cardinals May Be Bluffing Pick")
.jpg?w=600 "Former President Crashes Cowboys Presser")
