Breaking Down How Liverpool Can Get the Best out of Summer Buy Roberto Firmino

Joining Liverpool in a deal worth up to £29 million in June, Brazilian attacking midfielder Roberto Firmino was the marquee signing of the summer for Brendan Rodgers' side. But three months in to Firmino's time on Merseyside, there is already a feeling that the 23-year-old could be shunted into the periphery.

"You can’t help but compare his current situation to that of Lazar Markovic last year, which is worrying to say the least," This is Anfield's Henry Jackson recently lamented of Firmino's slow start to his Reds career, with the assertion being that Rodgers is unaware of how to get the best out of the former 1899 Hoffenheim man—much like Markovic, who struggled in his first season at Anfield, before joining Fenerbahce on loan this summer.

So how can Liverpool get the best out Firmino this season?

Analysing his role under Markus Gisdol at Hoffenheim should give Rodgers a strong insight into how Firmino's talent can be maximised.

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Roberto Firmino at Hoffenheim

"I decided [to join] Liverpool because they wanted me for over a year,” Firmino told German publication Bild (h/t Harry Sherlock Goal) in July. “There was a certain sympathy from the beginning and I had a good feeling from the start."

Liverpool had likely followed Firmino after seeing him score 16 goals and register 11 assists in 33 Bundesliga games for Hoffenheim in 2013/14, with the Brazilian playing an all-encompassing, Luis Suarez-like role in the 1899 attack.

The Reds may have been frustrated as Firmino signed a new long-term contract with Hoffenheim in March of last year, with sporting director Alexander Rosen telling the club's official website (h/t Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC) that he was "a player with incredible ability."

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At Hoffenheim, Firmino was regularly utilised as a No. 10 or as a shadow striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, behind bullish centre-forward Anthony Modeste and working in tandem with left winger Kevin Volland, who said at the end of 2014/15 that it was "an honour to play with him," according to Peter Staunton of Goal.

This system was tailored to the individual strengths of Firmino, Volland and Modeste, with the Brazilian's work ethic, intelligent movement and goalscorer's instinct allowing him to combine with pacy, inside forward Volland and mobile target man Modeste.

In 2014/15, Firmino assisted 10 Bundesliga goals, as well as scoring seven, with Liverpool clearly earmarking him as the man to help solve their issues in front of goal for 2015/16 and beyond, as Rodgers discussed with the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce shortly after the attacking midfielder's arrival on Merseyside:

"

Firmino is an outstanding talent. He’s got a wonderful touch and appreciation of the game. The key when you watch him play is his determination and how hard he works.

He can play on any one of the sides, he play can through the middle or he can play in behind.

He’s accustomed to European football so that should make the transition a bit easier for him. He’s a talented player who wants to score a goal.

"

Firmino was the star man at Hoffenheim, and this came at a cost for Liverpool—with the £29 million spent arguably an overvaluation—but the Reds were banking on a player whose ability to fluidly combine defence and attack could see him fill the Suarez-shaped hole in Rodgers' starting lineup.

But after seven Premier League games, Rodgers' setup has changed significantly from the 4-2-3-1 that he started the season with; one which would have suited Firmino's talents perfectly—though not necessarily those of his new team-mates.

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Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool

Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday saw a much-improved tactical outlook from Rodgers, with the manager persevering with an unorthodox, loose 3-4-1-2 formation that produced 23 shots on goal in the Reds' previous league clash—a 1-1 draw at home to Norwich City.

This system is built on a three-man defensive foundation, with Rodgers chiefly utilising Emre Can and Mamadou Sakho, flanking sweeper centre-back Martin Skrtel, to push forward and dictate play from deep.

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Ahead of Can and Sakho are a pair of wing-backs in Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno, who are tasked with providing Liverpool with width, with the latter in particular adopting a playmaker's role on the left flank—attempting 14 crosses and assuming set-piece duties alongside James Milner and Philippe Coutinho.

Milner and Coutinho are joined by the defensive-minded Lucas Leiva in an intriguing three-man midfield setup. Against Villa, Coutinho operated as a playmaking No. 8, with Milner assuming the role of Liverpool's No. 10—making overlapping runs into the box to support Rodgers' attacking charges, as well as contributing to Liverpool's pressing play in the middle of the park; a role similar to that of Firmino at Hoffenheim.

With the partnership of Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings proving lively in the draw with Norwich, the Englishmen have seemingly secured their roles as Rodgers' first-choice strike partnership, with Christian Benteke suffering a hamstring injury midway through the Canaries' visit to Anfield.

With Liverpool scoring more than two goals in a game for the first time in four months, according to ESPN's Richard Jolly, this is arguably warranted:

Liverpool now sit firmly in the top half of the Premier League table, with a spot among the league's top four within reach, and the 3-4-1-2 is one of the principle factors behind this improvement.

That it has come without Firmino may be worrying for the 23-year-old, who joined Benteke in the treatment room after sustaining a back injury in the League Cup against Carlisle United.

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Will Injury Hamper Firmino's Progress?

Falling after a mistimed aerial challenge at Anfield on Thursday night, Firmino "may have cracked a bone in his back," according to Rodgers—as reported by the club's official website—with the manager offering a non-committal "we’ll see how he’ll be over the coming weeks" in relation to his recovery.

This injury bookended a poor start to the season for the Brazilian, miserably coinciding with his most promising performance since joining from Hoffenheim.

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Though it was against lowly, League Two opposition, Firmino's work in a 3-4-2-1 behind lone centre-forward Ings was hugely promising: he showcased the determination that endeared him to Rodgers at Hoffenheim, chasing down loose balls and applying pressure to the Cumbrians' defence off the ball, as well as providing a useful creative presence in the buildup.

Prior to this performance, Firmino struggled to impose himself in a variety of roles—largely utilised out of position as a left or right winger, as well as performing as a right wing-back in the Reds' 3-1 loss away to Manchester United—and suffering injury in the League Cup at Anfield compounded his Merseyside misery.

Now, with Firmino on the sidelines and Liverpool making progress on the pitch, the Brazilian faces a fight to find a regular spot in Rodgers' starting lineup. According to former Liverpool centre-back Mark Lawrenson, writing for the Liverpool Echo, this could provide the 23-year-old with some perspective ahead of his return to fitness:

"

Roberto Firmino will also be missing for a while, and that's another injury that ultimately could prove beneficial to the player.

I don't know what his best position is. Is he a No. 10? Is he a second striker? Is he one of a three? And does he play on the left or the right?

One thing I do know is that he looks very lightweight for the Premier League.

His time in the stands could help him, as it gives him a chance to look at the game.

It's part of his education. He can see how the team plays and imagine his role in the team in the position he wants to play.

"

Much like Rodgers, Lawrenson seems to have overlooked what Firmino's strengths were during his time at Hoffenheim—and, unfortunately, this injury will now stand in his way.

If Liverpool are to continue with a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation, Firmino must take stock in the treatment room and target one of Rodgers' attacking-midfield roles—and the manager must acknowledge that this is where he is most effective.

To get the best out of Firmino, Rodgers must continue to deploy him as he did against Carlisle in a 3-4-2-1, or rotate him with Milner in the No. 10 role in the 3-4-1-2.

Liverpool have a potentially devastating attacking player in their ranks in Firmino—one who can be more effective than Milner on the edge of the penalty area. While injury may hamper his progress in the short term, Rodgers must put his faith in the Brazilian and utilise him in the role that made him so prominent in the Bundesliga.

Do so, and Firmino could become one of the club's most important players.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

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