I’m really happy with him- Klopp on Firmino's new role

Published at :November 26, 2018 at 6:36 PM

Modified at :November 26, 2018 at 6:36 PM

The Brazilian striker scored for the first time in eight games in Reds' win away to Watford.

Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his number nine Bobby Firmino in the postmatch press conference after Liverpool’s victory over Watford FC at Vicarage Road.

Roberto Firmino has had a change in position on the pitch this season and the Brazilian has mostly started behind Mohamed Salah who has starred in the most advanced position for the Reds this season. Salah played from the right wing last season and broke all kinds of goalscoring records and following his slow start to life in the league this season, Klopp has moved him more centrally. This has affected Firmino as well who used to occupy those zones on the pitch prior to the tactical shift.

However, Klopp expressed how well Firmino took his decision and accepted a less protagonist role this season. “He will never come to me because people are saying something is missing and ask: ‘Boss, can I play in my old position again? He is doing the job. That makes him so unbelievably valuable for us. I’m really happy with him.”

Firmino scored in the 3-0 victory over Watford, his first league goal since mid-September and had a hand in both the other goals. And while he has scored only three times in the league so far this season, he has been excellent at other areas. He drops deep, links up play with the midfield and the frontline, opens up spaces for his teammates and has a great ability at assisting others too.

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“We need to find a system where we can bring our quality on the pitch and against Watford it worked out. It all depends what you want to see, what you expect and what you compare it with", Klopp said in the interview.

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Speaking about Firmino, Klopp revealed that over 20 German coaches he was friends with from his time in Germany had flown to England to watch Liverpool play. And one of the topics of discussion after the game ended up being about Bobby Firmino who drew equal praise and admiration from them.

“In the last home game against Fulham, I had 20 German coaches in the stadium. Most of them were friends of mine, and I know them all. They watched the game. I’m not sure what the critics were saying about Bobby Firmino after the game, but when I saw the coaches later and we had drinks together, they were like ‘Bobby Firmino... what a player!’