Liverpool FC Thread #159:- Unity Is Strength!

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The astonishing stat that confirms Liverpool's Roberto Firmino is one of the Champions League's most prolific strikers

A false nine no more, Roberto Firmino is officially one of Liverpool’s most prolific ever strikers in the Champions League.

Having previously been accused of enduring a slow start to the season after this summer’s World Cup in Russia, his campaign has burst into life with four goals from his last four games for both club and country.

The forward opened his account for the campaign at the fourth time of asking in the Reds’ final game before the September international break against Leicester City.



And after scoring for Brazil against the United States during the break, Firmino netted the decider against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley before overcoming an eye injury to grab a last-minute winner against Paris Saint-Germain from the substitutes’ bench in midweek.

The Brazilian’s goal against the French champions saw him extend his love affair with the Champions League following last year’s memorable run to the final.

Firmino’s goal against PSG was his 11th from just 14 appearances in Europe’s elite competition - a return which sees him boast one of the most prolific records in Champions League history.



Only former Lazio striker Simone Inzaghi can lay claim to recording more goals (12) from his first 14 Champions League appearances.

Prior to scoring against Leicester, the forward had been during something of a goal-drought at club-level having not scored for eight matches since Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final home victory over AS Roma.

And following the return of the famous competition, it’s safe his drought is well and truly behind him!

Including his effort in last season’s qualifying victory over his former club Hoffenheim, Firmino’s winner against PSG saw him move level alongside Dirk Kuyt as Liverpool’s second-highest ever goalscorer in the Champions League with 12 goals to his name.

If you include the days of the European Cup, the Brazilian and Kuyt find themselves in third place alongside Terry McDermott with Ian Rush (14) two goals ahead in second place.



Meanwhile, he has also moved up to seventh in Liverpool’s all-time European goalscorers rankings with 13 goals alongside Jimmy Case and Emile Heskey.

Should Firmino replicate last season’s campaign, he could well find himself in the Reds’ all-time European scorers list by the end of the season too.

Robbie Fowler (14) is next in his sights with Kuyt and McDermott (both 15) next up and then Roger Hunt (17) and Rush (20) behind current runner-up Michael Owen (22).

However, he has some way to go to top either list with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard unsurprisingly the runaway leader with 30 Champions League and 41 European goals to his name.

And with strike-partners Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane breathing down his neck with 11 and 10 Champions League goals respectively, expect the Reds’ standings to change numerous times over the course of the season as Liverpool look to go one better than last year’s final appearance against Real Madrid.

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Jürgen Klopp has confirmed Dejan Lovren is ‘close’ being back in contention for Liverpool after resuming full training at Melwood this week.

The defender hasn’t figured for the Reds since returning from World Cup duty with runners-up Croatia due to a pelvis issue.

However, Lovren re-joined his teammates in Wednesday’s training session and isn’t too far away from being available for first-team selection once again.

Klopp told his pre-match press conference at Melwood on Friday: “Dejan is close. He looks really fit; he did a lactate test last week and fitness-wise he is on a really OK level for his situation – rather good than average.

“That is good and good work from the fitness department. We will see. He is not in the squad for the weekend of course but we will see how soon we can try to involve him again.”

Another man making good progress in his quest to return to full fitness is Adam Lallana.

The playmaker has stepped up his recovery programme at Melwood after sustaining a groin strain while on international duty with England.

“Adam gets closer and closer,” said Klopp. “He is still doing his rehab work out on the pitch and all that stuff, so he is not too far away from the team for sure.”

Liverpool will train at Melwood on Friday afternoon as they finalise preparations for the weekend’s Premier League encounter with Southampton at Anfield.

Dominic Solanke is fit to join in the session after picking up a knock while representing the Reds’ U23s last weekend, but Divock Origi is still recovering from knee complaint.

Klopp confirmed: “Dom trains today for the first time after his concussion. Divock tried yesterday but still feels it when he is changing the direction and is still aware of it, so we don’t have to make pressure on that.

“I think Sunday will maybe be the first session with the team.”

Meanwhile, Klopp also responded to the news Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had reached a milestone in his rehabilitation from a long-term injury this week by passing a ball for the first time since picking up multiple knee ligament damage against AS Roma in April.

The midfielder revealed the details of his latest progress while speaking on LFCTV's LFC Later programme.

“Ox is in a different situation, but it is so nice to have him around,” the boss said. “I can imagine because I had a long injury in my career, the first month you take it somehow and then you think it’s really boring and not exactly why you wanted to play football. He for sure he had moments like this, but he is such a positive [person].

“We are really, really waiting for him without making pressure on him. We know it will take a long time, but he will always be a very important part of the squad because of the guy he is. I have said it a few times, I knew he was a good footballer when we signed him but I could never have imagined what an outstanding person he is.

“He is a big miss for us, but he is most of the time around and is still working on the good atmosphere in and around the team.”

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Mohamed Salah’s contribution to Liverpool’s run of six consecutive wins at the start of the season has been highlighted by Jürgen Klopp.

The forward has started each of those matches, registering two goals and two assists, but goes into Saturday’s meeting with Southampton at Anfield having not found the net in his last three outings.

That represents something of a fallow spell for a player who finished 2017-18 boasting a phenomenal total of 44 goals in just 52 appearances for the Reds.

Klopp, though, also places importance on other facets of Salah’s game that he insists have helped his side begin the season so impressively.

“On the defensive side the last two games were outstanding, perfect from him,” the boss said.

“It’s so important in these games especially, so that says everything about him, that he is really ready to work for the team in these moments and it’s a completely normal situation for an offensive player that you have times when you don’t score. But he is still a threat.

“He had fantastic offensive situations in both of the last games. He is in a good shape, actually, and then finishing is never something you can take for granted.

“I never do that and the players should never do that, only the supporters are allowed to do that! Really, he’s in good shape and the most important thing is that physically he is in a very good shape and that helps.”

Salah’s extraordinary debut campaign with Liverpool means he is now measured by elite standards - something Klopp accepts.

And the manager feels the Egyptian's goal tally should be judged come the end of 2018-19, not after just six games.

“Of course everybody expects that, it’s clear,” Klopp replied, when asked whether Salah is expected to repeat his feats from last term.

“We don’t expect that, but we want him to score as often as possible. That’s how it is, but it is completely normal that everybody expects that.

“It’s really no problem. We constantly have to deal with the news situations - people are very positive about this player or this player or this player and I have to decide ‘do I talk to him about that or not? Do I leave him alone or do I talk to him?’

“It’s always like this, but with Mo everything is fine, really. Yes, he lost the ball before we conceded the second goal [versus Paris Saint-Germain] because it was a very intense game and things like this happen constantly, but you don’t always concede the goal after it [and] this time we did. It was not the reason for taking him off, of course not, so I am fine with him. I think he is fine with me and the situation, so that’s all.

“At the end of the season we will see how it is, not at the beginning. So, the start was good for us as a team and for him as well.

“Was it already like he finished last season, the Premier League season especially? No, but he needed time last year, like we all needed time, and it will take time this year, that’s all.”

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Roberto Firmino is fit to start Liverpool’s game against Southampton on Saturday.

However, Jürgen Klopp has not yet decided whether the Brazilian, Daniel Sturridge or both strikers will be included in his line-up at Anfield.

Firmino was restricted to a substitute appearance in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League after sustaining an abrasion to his eye during last weekend’s victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

The No.9, of course, came off the bench to settle the Group C opener with a superb injury-time winner after the man he replaced, Sturridge, had opened the scoring in an individual display that was praised effusively by Klopp.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp revealed that Firmino is available to start versus the Saints at Anfield, but did not confirm whether the forward will do so.

“Yes, he is ready… so far there is no reason to think about Bobby, it’s about thinking about how can we line up in general differently. Could they [Firmino and Sturridge] play together? Yes of course,” the manager said.

“It’s just positive the impact Daniel had [against PSG]. It was an intense game, it was a fantastic game of him, to be honest, so that’s the best news and so now we know more about that.

“A lot of games will come, so it’s good to know about that and that’s why I was so pleased with the performance, because it could be players say ‘now I play but I don’t have the rhythm’, but he had minutes before that and a lot of good sessions, so he had rhythm and played really well.

“That’s good and how I said there are a lot of games to come and these two boys can play together as well - they did in the past, by the way, and they can do it again.”

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Amazon Approach

Jurgen Klopp has reportedly turned down Amazon’s approach for an All or Nothing style documentary series this term.

Amazon were keen to repeat the trick after the success of their Manchester City instalment and the Daily Mail report that influential figures at Liverpool considered the offer.

Klopp, however, had the final say and was ‘fully against’ the intrusion of the cameras. The German believes there is ‘nothing to be gained’ from fly-on-the-wall exposure - something Brendan Rodgers knows all about - and that ‘people’s behaviour changes’ when they are on camera.

Amazon are now said to be targeting Bayern Munich for their next season.

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‘Today is all that matters,’ is the message from Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool prepare to return to action against Southampton at Anfield.

Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield means the Reds have won all six of their fixtures of far in 2018-19.

Nevertheless, Klopp has outlined why he feels today’s Premier League encounter with the Saints can be described as their most important of the season to date.

The manager wrote in his column in ‘This is Anfield’: “Last Tuesday night was a tremendous feeling for everyone associated with Liverpool, but as is always the case we must immediately re-focus and all our efforts and energies have to go into this huge fixture today.

“There is really no need to give this message to players or supporters, as they will know it already, but this match is our most important of the season, because it is what’s next and therefore it is the only thing to say in this moment. I could not care for one second how many we have won in a row, or how healthy or otherwise our position is in any particular competition. To coin an English phrase I have learned: today is our be-all and end-all.

“It is not a case of ignoring what we experienced on Tuesday night – the opposite actually – but take from it what is useful. What is useful is that we saw that out-working your opponent is important – as it will be today. That being more hungry for the win is important – as it will be today. That outstanding atmosphere, feeling and passion from Anfield makes a difference – as it will do today.

“The lessons from Tuesday which are relevant for this and every game is that to win at this level, Champions League or Premier League, you must have the right mentality and attitude or you lose. It's that simple.

“Southampton will need no teamtalk for this match. They will see this as a fantastic opportunity. The positivity around us in this moment is fine, and of course I would sooner it be this way. But a positive feeling should not allow for a feeling of satisfaction.

“I have spoken many times about staying ‘angry’ in the competitive sense. Today it is critical. Southampton come here to ruin our day. They come to stop our momentum. They come to win at our home.

“They come to take the points. But we have a say in whether they achieve their aim. We have the chance to go again and repeat the intensity of Tuesday.”

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Jürgen Klopp has assured Xherdan Shaqiri that his ‘time will come’ as the forward awaits his full Liverpool debut.

Switzerland international Shaqiri has been restricted to three substitute appearances against West Ham United, Leicester City and Paris Saint-Germain so far this season.

However, Klopp acknowledged that the 26-year-old is pushing for his first start for the club ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Southampton at Anfield.

“He is very positive, not only from the performances but as a guy in the dressing room. Everyone loves Shaq, that is how it is - and without playing plenty of minutes,” the boss said.

“That is more my mistake than his. He has done everything to play. I made different decisions but his time will come, that is for sure.”

This weekend’s game against the Saints is the Reds’ seventh of the campaign.

The previous six have all ended in victory, with Klopp citing ‘greed’, ‘aggression’ and, latterly, ‘reinvented defensive skills’ as key factors behind their perfect results to date in 2018-19.

“We don’t feel that [momentum] to be honest because we play, analyse, prepare; play, analyse, prepare and that is it,” the manager stated.

“Maybe it’s because all the jobs are so difficult. There is no game where we have thought: ‘Thank God we have played them.’ None of the results we have this season would have been possible without the greed you have seen or without the aggression you see. No chance.

“We didn’t win anything so far - not in the past and not this season - so let’s use the momentum and create a new momentum. We really want to be the ugliest team to play against. That is the plan, and to do it with good football players.

“The best news I have had in the last two weeks is how we have changed or reinvented again our defensive skills. We didn’t need them too much in the first few games. It was not that we didn’t have to defend but they were different games.

“Against Tottenham and Paris I loved how we did it. We still played good football and that was a really big step in the season so far.”