Scout thinks Roberto Firmino is ‘Liverpool’s MVP’, gets ‘short shrift’

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Liverpool are in Champions League action tonight, taking on RB Leipzig in the first leg of their last 16 tie.

The Reds are in dire form at the moment having lost three Premier League games in a row, completely crumbling against Leicester City on Saturday.

Tonight’s game sees a number of Liverpool men making returns to Germany; Jurgen Klopp for one, as well as the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Nathaniel Phillips, Ozan Kabak and Xherdan Shaqiri.

The game also sees Roberto Firmino heading back to Germany, having joined Liverpool in a £29million deal from Hoffenheim back in 2015.

Firmino had a tricky start to life with Liverpool, but has become a star at Anfield, racking up a huge 277 appearances for the Reds whilst racking up 84 goals and 67 assists.

The 29-year-old is a key part of Liverpool’s attacking setup, and will be looking to shine on his return to Germany having previously hit 49 goals and 36 assists for Hoffenheim.

Ahead of tonight’s game, St Louis City sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel – the scout who helped bring Firmino to Hoffenheim back in 2011 – has told Goal that he thinks Firmino is underappreciated.

Pfannenstiel called Firmino ‘Liverpool’s MVP’, believing he is the player that makes Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah shine, claiming he fits perfectly into Klopp’s system but gets the ‘short shrift’ from media coverage despite his excellence.

“Everyone talks about Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, but from my point of view, Roberto is Liverpool’s MVP,” said Pfannenstiel. “He is the one who runs the most, creates the spaces and creates a lot of chances. He sort of lets the other two shine. That’s rewarded within his team, but for me it sometimes gets short shrift in the coverage.”

“Klopp taking over at Liverpool was the best thing that could have happened from Roberto’s point of view. He knows exactly what the coach expects from him: Disciplined pressing, high, aggressive tackling. That’s exactly what he learned at Hoffenheim, he knew it inside out and it’s a kind of automatism for him. So Klopp’s way of playing fits like a glove,” he added.