Opinion - Roberto Firmino's days are coming to an end at Anfield

Liverpool signed Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim for a transfer fee of £36.90 million back in the summer of 2015.

When the forward arrived at Anfield, we didn't know a lot about him. However, once Jurgen Klopp got a hold of him, we quickly realised that the Reds had signed a special player.

Firmino has been a mainstay in the German's side since 2015-16 for the most part. The Brazilian has scored 98 goals and registered 74 assists in 330 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.

Without Firmino, the club would not have won six major trophies and the Community Shield in the past three years.

Klopp has made that very clear in the past.

As quoted by Liverpool Offside, he said the following back in October 2021: “Mo (Salah) gets a lot of attention and rightly so. But Bobby, for people with football knowledge, I’m pretty sure when he finishes playing people will write books about the way he interpreted the false-nine position.

“I don’t say he invented it or we invented it, but with the way he plays from time to time it looks like it. There are different things to do on the pitch, so yeah, Bobby knows how much we appreciate what he is doing.”

But, unfortunately, it does look like the 30-year-old's time at Anfield is coming to an end. Firmino started for Liverpool against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Monday night and he just looked well past his best.

The forward was also well off the pace against Fulham at Craven Cottage a few weeks ago.

Firmino simply isn't impacting games anymore. There was always going to come a time when he fell off the cliff. Footballers can't play at the highest level forever. It's just not physically possible. Perhaps that time has come for Firmino.

What makes the situation even worse for the man is that he is out of contract at the conclusion of this season.

Former Red John Aldridge was concerned about Firmino's form over a year ago.

"Look at Firmino, he is a problem. He has lost his mojo completely and I have been one of his biggest fans, but it has been like this for a long time now. It is evident to all the fans," he said, as quoted by LFC Transfer Room.

“His demeanour is different and he drops into midfield to do a job there at times, but when you have a number nine on your back, your job is to score goals.

“He’s lost his belief, totally, his confidence, everything in his game seems to have gone and he just can’t shake himself out of it.

"Maybe he needs a break? Maybe next season the return of the fans will help him out of it?”

There is plenty of time left in the season for Firmino to turn things around and we do hope that he does. Before the campaign got underway, we strongly believed that the forward could still perform to a high standard for the Reds.

But, from what we have seen in the early stages of the season, Firmino is not the player that he once was.

There is no denying that Liverpool's front three heading into the future will incorporate Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

However, we will certainly miss Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane leading the club's attack. Those footballers played a key role in reviving Liverpool Football Club.