This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
John Aldridge has written in his column for The Liverpool Echo that he thinks Roberto Firmino will go on a goalscoring run after his strike against Crystal Palace.
What did he say?
Whilst the Brazil international has started each and every Premier League match so far this term, he has been far from prolific in front of goal. He has bagged just four times in the top tier so far this campaign, and this strike against the Eagles was his first in seven fixtures in the competition.
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Former Reds striker Aldridge has said that he now expects the former Hoffenheim forward to get himself on the scoresheet more frequently. He explained: “It was great to see Roberto Firmino end a run of seven league games without a goal. He has a lot of aspects to his game and he’s not a ‘goalscoring striker’ but being a centre forward he has to score goals.
“I know what it’s like as a striker when you lose your confidence in front of goal and you need a bit of luck to get it back. I think after Saturday that will have done him the world of good and we will start to see more goals from Bobby in the coming weeks.”
A big few weeks
There has been a lot of talk about how much Firmino does for the team off the ball, and the way he links up with his teammates. After all, he does have eight assists to his name in all competitions already this season. But four goals in 19 matches is a poor return for a number nine who is playing for a team that have won all but two matches this campaign.
It is not as though Liverpool couldn’t do with some more goals either. In the league, they have won seven games by a single goal. Whilst they are still picking up the points, this is surely a run that can’t go on.
In recent weeks and months, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner. The 23-year-old is not far off £72m-rated Firmino – as per Transfermarkt – in terms of creating for his teammates – he has just one less assist than the 28-year-old – but in terms of goals, there is no comparison. In just 18 matches in all competitions, the Germany international has already netted 16 times, four times as many as the man he could replace if he were to make a switch to Anfield.
Before the end of the year, Liverpool will play at least 10 more matches – it could be 11 should they make it to the Club World Cup final – and Firmino is likely to feature in the majority of them. As the transfer window approaches, it could be a huge few weeks for him. Should he go on a goalscoring run, as Aldridge expects, Jurgen Klopp may hold off on attempting to sign Werner. Another drought, though, and the speculation and rumours will only intensify. Firmino’s future is in his own hands.
In other news, one Liverpool star puts in a passive performance against Palace, but Klopp should do nothing.
