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Liverpool news: Why Roberto Firmino is Reds' most important player - Rio Ferdinand
ROBERTO FIRMINO is Liverpool’s most important player because they would not be able to attack like they do without him.
Roberto Firmino has had a superb season at Liverpool
That is the verdict of former Manchester United captain turned BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.
Firmino has been in stunning goalscoring form for Liverpool this season but has often been overshadowed by Mohamed Salah.
Salah has scored 43 goals in all competitions for the Reds in his debut campaign, 16 more than Firmino has mustered in a Reds shirt.
But Ferdinand says that the likes of Salah and Sadio Mane are massively helped by the hold-up play for Firmino.
What they’ve got as well, the catalyst for everything going forward in this Liverpool team, is Firmino
Speaking ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi-final second-leg against Roma, Ferdinand said Firmino was crucial to Liverpool’s chances of defending their 5-2 first-leg win.
“This front three of Liverpool, there aren’t going to be any surprises tonight,” Ferdinand said.
“You know what to expect, but in this day and age speed kills. They’ve got it in abundance.
“What they’ve got as well, the catalyst for everything going forward in this Liverpool team, is Firmino.
Commentator: Roma have more to fear from Firmino than Salah
Ferdinand says Roberto Firmino is Liverpool's most important player
“When the ball goes into him it sticks, and that means the runners can start piling forward and getting into support.
“When you haven’t got a No 9 that holds the ball up, you can’t start these attacks, there’s no platform.
“That’s why the importance of Firmino is huge for this team."
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