Roberto Firmino was a vital player for Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp, helping the club win several championships before joining Saudi Arabia for free last summer.
The summer of Roberto Firmino’s departure from Liverpool signaled the end of an extended period of success at Anfield. The Brazilian had shown flashes of brilliance since joining Brendan Rodgers in 2015, but Liverpool supporters hadn’t witnessed his greatest work until Jürgen Klopp placed him in a central striking role.
Along with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, Firmino would create the most formidable offensive team in recent memory as Liverpool won the Premier League and the Champions League. Firmino was a vital component of Klopp’s style because of his ability to counter-press and connect plays, even though the two wide players were admired for their lightning-fast pace.
And even after moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer, he continued to make a significant difference, scoring 13 goals in his final season on Merseyside. Now that he has so many attacking alternatives at his disposal, each one brings something special to the table, but none can match the qualities of the 32-year-old.
However, gifted youngster Jayden Danns has acknowledged that he was previously compared to Firmino and that he has now improved the effectiveness of his own game. Although Danns, the son of former Blackburn and Bolton midfielder Neil, has not yet made his debut in the first team, Klopp has recently brought him up to train.
I used to be compared to [Roberto] Firmino when I was younger. I was rather a late bloomer and wasn’t as tall when I was younger, but everything just kind of struck me at once,” 18-year-old Danns told Liverpool’s official website. “Back in the day I was like a No.9-and-a-half, where I’m still a No.9 but I love to drop in.”
Danns continues, “To be honest, one of my goals last season was to work on my pressing.” Danns grew an incredible 10 inches in a matter of months a few years ago. My physicality has improved significantly as I’ve grown into my body, but you can also see the consequences of the work we’ve put in to keep pressing and counter-pressing.
“I think at least four of my goals this season are off pressing a man and they might give it away for me to go and slip in behind and score.” The striker, who has scored 21 goals for Liverpool’s Under-18s and Under-21s this season, is obviously benefiting from those changes.
Klopp is also intrigued by that. He calls ‘Dannsy’ up to practice with the senior and even mentions him by name as one of three up-and-coming stars, along with Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni (Mirror), demonstrating his awareness of the character.
Firmino carved out a position for himself in Liverpool’s system by being among the best at forcing defenders into errors. Despite scoring a hat-trick on his Al-Ahli debut, he has not scored in his first season in Saudi Arabia.