Liverpool would ‘be lost without’ unsung Firmino

Klopp and Robertson hail ‘intense’ forward Manager defends Salah after Mane outburst

While Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keen to downplay the suggestion of any friction between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, he was much happier to extol the virtues of the ultimate team player, Roberto Firmino.

The Brazilian scored one and made one for Mane in the 3-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday, which established a club-record of 13 straight league wins, as well as keeping the two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table.

In doing so, Firmino became the first Brazilian to reach 50 goals in the Premier League as he underlined his value to the European champions.

There have also been 29 assists in his 141 league appearances in England as regular watchers of Liverpool have become used to his all-round brilliance.

With an eye for a goal and a pass, plus the flicks and tricks that are synonymous with Brazilian players, the 27-year-old has the qualities of both a No9 and a No10. But he does not rest on those laurels and sets the example for others to follow by leading from the front in closing down opponents and trying to win the ball back.

Klopp recognises this special mix and acknowledges that his players recognised it most when Firmino was missing for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal in Barcelona in April when they lost 3-0.

“What a player,” laughed the manager. “It’s just unbelievable just how smart he is in decisionmaking, how good he is technically, how fit he is, how much he enjoys the really hard work.

“I remember when we played at Barcelona and Gini Wijnaldum had to play in that position. Gini was sitting in the dressing room saying, ‘What the heck are you doing in that position? It’s unbelievable. It’s so intense’.

“That was probably the biggest respect you can get, when you play the position once and you see that.

“Nobody can play it like Bobby Firmino, but I don’t think what he is doing there is under-appreciated. Everybody sees it.

“Being skilled like Bobby is one thing. Mix it up with the attitude he puts in, that is unbelievable. It really is exceptional.”