Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp defended Roberto Firmino's all-round contribution to the English champion's success in recent seasons as the Brazilian's place in the team has come under threat from the free-scoring form of Diogo Jota.
Firmino has scored just once this season compared to Jota's return of seven in 10 games since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.
The Portuguese international made the most of his chance to start ahead of Firmino with a hat-trick in Liverpool's 5-0 rout of Atalanta in the Champions League Tuesday making a strong case for selection in Sunday's crunch Premier League clash with Manchester City.
But when asked to explain the other elements of Firmino's game that have made him a prominent part of the Liverpool sides that stormed to the Champions League in 2019 and a first league title in 30 years last season, Klopp launched a withering attack on his critics.
Diogo Jota’s superb hat-trick lit up Liverpool’s 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Atalanta Tuesday and served further...
Posted by Sports Tribune on Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Klopp said this at his pre-match press conference Friday.
Firmino has scored just 13 goals in his last 63 appearances for the Reds.
Liverpool and City have dominated the Premier League title race for the last three seasons, but both have shown signs of weakness in the early part of the new campaign.
And Klopp believes neither side will be able to set the standards of recent seasons when both have smashed their club points record tallies with a heavily congested schedule and no fans in the stands.
