Football pundit and former professional footballer Garth Crooks gave BBC Sports his "ideal XI" of the Premier League matchday, with Liverpool FC superstar Roberto Firmino, who scored a brace in the three-goal draw against Brighton Hove Albion, standing out. For Crooks, Firmino is one of those types of players you need in your team, as he makes contributions at key moments.
The Carioca striker recorded his fifth goal of the season for the Red's; all in the Premiere League. Firmino has only missed one game in the current campaign, that was in Matchday 2 against Crystal Palace due to a technical decision, then played in the English derby against Manchester United, and took off in goals in Liverpool's 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth. "Bobby" was back in the starting line-up and scored again, this time against Newcastle.
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The rotations came for the native of Maceió, Brazil, as coach Jürgen Klopp decided to try other schemes, for example, the entries with Darwin Núñez or Luiz Díaz. Despite this, Firmino got minutes and was called up by Tite for Brazil's final friendly games ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Out of action with the "Canarinha", Roberto returned to Anfield, where his quality was shown once again with the two goals scored against the "Seagulls".
This activity was closely followed by analyst and former Premier League player Garth Crooks, who called for Firmino to be valued. "Liverpool fans keep telling me that Thiago Alcantara (when fit) is their main man. He could be, yes, but he could run. The Spaniard has turned jogging into an art. He can't get off the park and he doesn't have Firmino's finishing instincts."
Coupled with this, Crooks pointed out that Firmino has been having good tournaments, and hasn't struggled as much with injuries as Alcantara. "Thiago certainly has his moments, but if we are going to compare their contributions and the importance each player gives to the team, then Firmino is in a different class," he told BBC Sports.
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