Roberto Firmino shone in the Premier League for Liverpool but his Copa America form with Brazil leaves a lot to be desired.
Two games, one win and countless boos from the stands; this is not the way Brazil envisaged the Copa America on home soil.
After a second half blitz papered over the cracks in the opening game against Bolivia, Tite’s weaknesses were brutally exposed against a tough and resilient Venezuela side in front of a less than impressed crowd at the Arena Fonte Nova.
And it wouldn’t be a bad Brazilian performance without one of the Selecao’s stars being made into a scapegoat on social media. It was Gabriel Jesus at the World Cup in Russia and, one year on, it looks like Liverpool star Roberto Firmino is quickly becoming the whipping boy for Brazil fans.
The 27-year-old appeared to lack match sharpness during the 3-0 win against Bolivia, despite setting up Philippe Coutinho’s second with a lovely floated cross, and he was far from his best again when Venezuela ground out a valuable draw.
Things could have been very different had Brazil, and Firmino, not seen three goals ruled out by VAR. But the fact that he failed to hit the target with any of his four shots on goal speaks volumes.
Some fans might have gone a little overboard but the criticism is understandable. Firmino is capable of far, far better.
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