"Slow in both mind and body" - Journalist critical of Reds forward after Burnley clash

The Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle has given his verdict on Roberto Firmino's performance against Burnley at Turf Moor yesterday.

Liverpool won the aforementioned Premier League fixture 1-0. However, Firmino struggled against the Clarets.

The forward only registered one shot on goal. With that being the case, Doyle was critical of Firmino after the match.

The journalist even implied that Firmino might be finished at the highest level.

As quoted by Anfield Edition's Twitter account, Doyle told the Liverpool Echo the following: "Roberto Firmino, though, won’t want to see much replay of a frustrating performance, too often slow in both mind and body."

Anfield Watch Verdict

Firmino has been a very good player for Liverpool over the years. The forward has scored 94 goals and registered 73 assists in 315 appearances for the club's first-team.

Firmino has also won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League title with the Reds.

In terms of this season, we don't believe that Firmino has been too bad for Liverpool. The Brazil international has found the back of the net seven times and registered four assists in 23 appearances.

Firmino has also been averaging a WhoScored player rating of 6.87.

But, there is no denying that Firmino is starting to get on. The striker is 30 years of age, so as Doyle pointed out, he is naturally not as sharp as he once was.

Despite that being the case, Firmino has still contributed this season. In terms of the Brazil international's long-term future, his contract at Liverpool expires in June 2023.

Due to Firmino's age, we would be surprised if he was offered an extension. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has a number of younger forwards at his disposal (Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz).

Only time will tell where Firmino's long-term future lies.