When measuring a striker's ability or role, it is customary to look at the number of goals and assists. A striker with 58 goals and 37 assists in 183 matches (that's an average of two assists or goals per match), if you look at such basic statistics, you'd probably be considered an average striker, a starter for a mid- to lower-tier team, or an attacker who's just a substitute for a luxury team.
Yet it was a striker with unremarkable stats that became the Reds'
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One of the most hardcore mainstays of the team's revival and even dynasty in recent seasons, and one of the most overlooked members of the team when they win and most criticized when they lose - Roberto Firmino.
Firmino has really been in some bad form so far this season, so it seems reasonable in a way that he has been criticized and there has even been a wave of voices to replace him with better teammates in the starting lineup. However, poor form is a normal part of the competitive game, but even so, Firmino is still in the team's main striker's position, and even coach Klopp has defended him more than once, which is a further indication that the striker, who doesn't have a lot of goals and assists, has a strong commitment to the team's goal-scoring and assisting.
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The value goes far beyond literal data.
Through this article, I would like to review the real value of Firmino, and hope that fans will not forget the value that the player has provided to the team in the past or at the present stage just because he is not in the best of form at the moment. Of course, if a player's form is not good and there are other players who have the conditions to replace him, the coach will naturally make the necessary adjustments to the rotation, but for Firmino, who has been in mediocre form so far this season, has he really reached the point where he needs to be replaced? Let's take a look at the Brazilian striker's record in the
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Let's come back with further conclusions about the positioning and value of the formation.
What's the value of a Firmino that doesn't score goals?
I. Defense: running distance, ability to press against the rush
Talking about the value of a striker from the defensive side of the ball does go against the grain of the average fan's perception of what a striker is, after all, it's all about scoring, scoring, and scoring again. There's certainly nothing wrong with that perception, but the key to discussing Firmino from the defensive side of the ball is that Klopp's performance on the
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Gegenpressing (a kind of Counterpressing) is a set of tactics with aggressive defense as the main axis, i.e., through high tension and high intensity defense to press opponents in an attempt to regain the ball in the opponent's half of the field and immediately launch a rapid counterattack on the spot.
In other words, it is a set of aggressive defensive strategy as the beginning of all the offensive organization, so as the main player under this tactical system, even the attacking player in charge of the front field must have enough excellent defensive ability (compared with other players in the same position). Once we talk about defensive ability, especially in Klopp's system which tests physical strength and execution, players' running ability and ability to press and counter-strike become important indicators to check players' performance.
Figure (i)
