Liverpool have seldom shown even a touch of burnout in recent weeks despite their hectic winter schedule.
The Reds played ten fixtures between December 4th 2019 and the recent 2-0 win over Sheffield United on January 2nd. But the relentlessness of the schedule didn’t appear to have any tangible effect on the club as they recorded eight wins during that period.
Jurgen Klopp is blessed with plenty of talented individuals but it is the efficiency and clinical nature of the collective machine he has built that has made his side so impossibly difficult to beat in the past year.
The strength of the collective allows for the occasional off day from a star player, and it was Roberto Firmino’s turn to let his standards slip at Anfield earlier this week.
Last month’s Club World Cup hero was hardly a liability at the spearhead of the attack but the standard we have come to expect from him was blatantly absent.
In possession he was uncharacteristically sloppy, misplacing passes and lacking the instinctive interplay that makes him so deadly on his day, while he failed to make a single goal contribution for the fourth time in five Premier League matches, per Whoscored.
His pass success rate of just 73.9% was his joint-third worst completion of the season, attesting to his wastefulness against the Blades.
Naturally, it is not time to hit the panic button in regard to Firmino, who is valued at £81m by Transfermarkt. His role is defined by its selflessness and his input, even when it appears minimal, is conducive to the flying performances of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah either side of him.
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But the display does point towards the burnout the Brazilian could be suffering as a consequence of Liverpool’s recent schedule. Firmino has started seven of the Reds’ last nine fixtures across all-competitions, spanning over a period of just 27 days.
The demands Klopp has placed on his star striker are evidently beginning to take effect and negatively impact on the standard of his performances.
The Merseyside derby is a must-win for Liverpool in their quest for silverware and local bragging rights, but Klopp would be wise to drop his star striker in light of his lethargic midweek display.