---
title: "Anfield awaits Roberto Firmino’s entrance"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/anfield-awaits-roberto-firminos-entrance/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "michael93"
section: "Articles"
published: "2015-08-17T08:41:25Z"
modified: "2015-08-17T11:20:45Z"
---

# Anfield awaits Roberto Firmino’s entrance

On Monday evening, we could see Roberto Firmino make the most hotly anticipated Anfield debut since Luis Suarez entered the fray to score against Stoke City in February 2011.

Last Sunday, we saw a glimpse of the Brazilian with his eye-catching cameo at the Britannia, showing some excellent touches and close control in the meagre 13 minutes he was on the pitch.

He also hit a hat-trick in a 5-1 friendly victory over Welsh side TNS at Melwood. Although a low-key game, a practice match more than a friendly, Firmino was the stand out performer in a relatively strong Liverpool side.

He arrived in a whirlwind of positivity, his signing marked a turning point as Liverpool had finally landed a big target who was wanted by other elite clubs. One who the likes of Manchester United and City coveted, positivity grew with this coup and Liverpool’s summer business began to look impressive. Firmino’s mystique as a Brazilian playing in a foreign league perhaps had the opposite effect of Christian Benteke who has been labelled by many, unfairly, an unimaginative signing who won’t adapt.

Firmino has come in as an exotic box of tricks but is still proven in a tough league in Germany, he ticked a lot of boxes, whether it is right or wrong to find these types of players more exciting or not.

He has all the potential hallmarks of a player who could be a massive hit at Anfield and whether he is or not could decide Brendan Rodgers’ future. He seems to have the South American tenacity that we loved in Luis Suarez and that we have also enjoyed in current star player Phil Coutinho and past favourite Javier Mascherano. South American players seem to flourish in the high intensity that comes when playing for Liverpool and he could be ideally suited to that, under the lights of Anfield could be the ideal platform to make an even bigger name for himself.

Always pressing and harrying the opposition for the ball, it is key to how Rodgers plays and he also has the footballing talent to win games. The manager needs players who can follow and carry out his tactics, a trend we can see in this summer’s transfer business and something that was missing in some of last summer’s buys. The only way to be successful under Rodgers is to give him these tactically well-suited players who his systems can get the best out of, carrying passengers has already wasted enough time.

In the current set-up of the team, he could form a deadly creative combination with Coutinho, as well as with the finishers like Benteke and Sturridge. In the Bundesliga he accumulated numerous impressive stats in both assists and goals with Hoffenheim, they have been covered in much detail so I won’t drop them here but it’s safe to say he has been one of Europe’s most consistently game-changing attacking midfielders for the last couple of seasons.

It remains to be seen whether he has the same impact on the club as the talismanic Suarez and it could take some adaptation time before he hits his full stride. On Monday night, whether he starts or comes on, we could see the first steps on the way to another Latin American Anfield legend.