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Roberto Firmino, Liverpool's Brazilian number 9, has endured a torrid time in the Premier League so far. He has also gone through a drought of goals in the Champions League and Liverpool seem to be hurting because of it. Firmino is their talisman and they need him to display the goods.
Firmino has scored a meagre 2 goals in the Premier League and 2 in the Champions League, making it just the 4 goals in 17 appearances this season. Teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have thrived, and in essence, made Firmino look a bit better than he actually is, but this can kill Liverpool in the long run, when they eventually try to challenge Manchester City for the title.
A lot of it has to go down to the supply-line that is at Anfield at the moment. Jordan Henderson has not seen in a purple patch in a long time nor has James Milner been at his best. Georginio Wijnaldum has been the sole bright light in Liverpool's midfield.
The infusion of new signings Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita has lessened the load a little bit but at times, even Mane and Salah were seen fetching the ball from deep inside the centre of the park.
Firmino's poor form cannot, however, be put down to an errant supply of balls, but rather, to a lack of technical finesse and physical strength that is needed to survive in the rigorous Premier League. If Klopp decides to leave Firmino out, he has the older Daniel Sturridge at hand, who has the same number of goals that the Brazilian does, albeit in twelve appearances.
Sturridge, who spent last season on loan at West Brom, has been good in patches this season and made the most of the opportunities that have come his way. But he isn't quite up to the mark in his finishing and that is a cause of worry for Klopp. That leaves youngsters Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi, who still are not ready for the Premier League yet.
Liverpool needs to look beyond Roberto Firmino because the Brazilian has wasted too many opportunities and he needs to go back to the training ground and finetune his skills. Calling Danny Ings back from Southampton will be the next best thing to do in the short run, but earnestly, what Klopp should look to do is buy a new centre-forward in January. It will keep Firmino on his toes and also provide support to the team.
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