In the prime of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool, the famous trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane led the Reds.
And while Salah and Mane earned most of the plaudits for the prolific goalscoring of one of the best front threes of all time, it was Firmino who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Working doggedly by setting up the two wingers, the Brazilian constantly put in a shift as the team’s false nine striker, by winning duels and playing passes in behind, alongside finishing off chances – where he finally received some credit.
But ever since Diogo Jota entered the fray, Liverpool started to utilise the striker role as an out-and-out number nine, letting the engine room midfield take over Firmino’s duties.
This was further compacted when Liverpool’s midfield maestros abandoned ship and Firmino moved on following the end of his contract, resulting in a completely different team which struggled physically.
Having focused most of their efforts on replenishing their midfield in the transfer market, Liverpool’s engine room is back, and while the striker is free to be a striker, the profile of a Firmino-type player was never replaced, until now.