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#2 Firmino still struggling to gel in
There was a lot of anticpation surrounding the arrival of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim during the summer. The Brazilian starlet had generated ripples in the Bundesliga since the time he joined the league from the Figueirense side in 2011. The signing was supposed to bolster Liverpool’s blunt attack and inject more firepower. But to go by his performances thus far, it has been anything but that.
Roberto Firmino hasn’t really hit the throttle with the Merseysiders yet, and his struggles to dovetail to his new surroundings were once again on show against Kazan. After failing to impress in his ‘False 9’ role against Chelsea, Firmino returned to his attacking midfield position for the European tie and the change had nary an impact.
The Brazil youngster found it hard to keep up with his markers, and was easily bullied into subjugation. His crosses were not threatening and he cut an isolated figure for a considerable amount of time.
Firmino is a hugely talented prospect and that was never in question. He has shown flashes of his brilliance in a Liverpool shirt in the past, but needs to bring it to the fore on a more consistent basis to make Liverpool’s £29 million expenditure count.
