Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Gary Neville has been speaking about Roberto Firmino ahead of the match between Liverpool and Manchester United this weekend.
Neville was building a combined XI made up of players from Liverpool and United and he made something of a surprise choice as he picked Firmino ahead of Bruno Fernandes in his team.
Firmino is undoubtedly a fantastic player, but he’s been critiqued over the past 12 months due to his lack of goals, but Neville appreciates the finer points of his game.
What’s been said?
Neville gave his view on Firmino, saying that he refuses to disrespect the Brazilian.
“I refuse to disrespect Firmino because that front three has been out of this world and he always seems to be the one who is pushed away. The work in possession and out of possession that he does on behalf of the team is unbelievable, and he keeps getting well disrespected is the wrong word because he does get respected, but I don’t believe he gets the full respect he deserves for his performances and how he dovetails with the midfield and the wide players, how he fills in in big games and drops onto the sitting midfield players. He does the donkey work when the team needs it, he never stops trying to win the ball back in the high press. He’s the type of player you need in the team if Ronaldo is going to be up front,” Neville said.
Needs more praise
Roberto Firmino is a brilliant player, but his excellent performances often go under the radar.
The problem is that he’s largely shoehorned into a mould that he doesn’t fit. Yes, technically he’s a number nine, but he’s by no means a striker.
He may have scored a hat-trick at the weekend, but his game isn’t about goals. The way he links up play and makes things happen is incredible and there are very few footballers who could play that role.
Neville is absolutely right to give the attacker the credit he deserves.
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