On Tuesday night football the Brazilian donned the Liverpool shirt in his 300th outing with the club that saw the Reds beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at Wanda Metropolitano in a match that was surrounded by controversies.
Roberto Firmino arrived in Liverpool from Germany club Hoffenheim six year ago [2015] and has established himself as a regular starter in Jurgen Klopp team owning the center-forward position and together with the help of wingers Sadio mane and Mohamed Salah their partnership have sowed more impact than any other in the Premier League.
Firmino started slowly at Liverpool, struggling to live up to the price tag but after Jürgen Klopp arrived as manager his performances improved, and according to various stats sources he was the most effective Premiership player in the second half of the season in respect of goal involvement (scored and assists combined).
Roberto Firmino arrived at Anfield in 2015; Photo Credit – This is Anfield
He scored a respectable ten goals in 31 league appearances but perhaps his most important goal was the second at home to Manchester United in the Europa League.
Roberto Firmino doesn’t seem as concerned with his goal tally as his fellow forwards, Mané and Salah, and enjoys assisting goals just as much as scoring them.
His overall contribution to the team, constantly on the move, filling spaces, and tracking opponents, hasn’t gone unnoticed as evident in his teammates’ praise of the Brazilian and by various pundits. Virgil Van Dijk described him as the greatest-ever player he’d played with when asked in August 2019.
In some instances, the Brazilian have fallen victim to criticism for the failure of goals but in most of these times, he missed goals his work rate contributed largely in bringing the best out of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Here are nine stats that summarise Firmino’s career at Anfield to date.
- Firmino made his Liverpool debut during the 1-0 win at Stoke in August 2015. Of the 18-man squad, Liverpool named that afternoon, only four other players remain at the club today (Joe Gomez, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Divok Origi).
- It took the Brazil international 14 games to score his first Liverpool goal, which came in a 4-1 win over Manchester City in November 2015. Firmino has scored five goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances against Liverpool’s main rivals in recent seasons.
- In total, Firmino has scored 23 times in 70 appearances against Liverpool’s fellow top-six competitors (eight against Arsenal, five against City and Tottenham, three against Manchester United and two against Chelsea).
- Arsenal is one of Firmino’s favorite opponents, with the striker netting eight in 13 appearances against the Gunners. He’s also scored the same amount against Watford but has only faced them 10 times.
- Firmino has netted four Premier League away goals in the 2021-22 season, which is as many as Manchester United and Manchester City have scored.
- After scoring just nine goals in 48 games last season, Firmino is averaging a goal every 54.5 minutes for Liverpool in 2021-22.
- Liverpool’s no. 9 scores the majority of his goals in the second half, with 55 of his 93 goals for the club coming after the interval. Firmino has scored 36 first-half efforts and struck twice in extra time.
- In total, Firmino has scored a goal every 237 minutes for Liverpool and provided an assist every three and a half matches he’s played.
- Firmino becomes only the sixth foreign player to make 300 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League era. The others are Sami Hyypia, Pepe Reina, John Arne Riise, Lucas Leiva, and Martin Skrtel.
- Firmino has become Liverpool’s ultimate link-up man, the player who connects midfield to attack, Mohamed Salah to Sadio Mane. There is no forward who is more integral to the game as a whole or more involved throughout.
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