Former Liverpool man Roberto Firmino recalls ‘disappointed’ moment with Jurgen Klopp
Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira is easily among the most loved players at Liverpool. It has been less than half a season since he transitioned from Merseyside to Saudi, and there’s no doubt that most fans miss him dearly at the club.
The 32-year-old centre-forward won everything he possibly could with Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp and was a big big part of the Reds’ successes under the German tactician. We all know how close we came to winning the treble two seasons ago as well. If it was not for Thibaut Courtouis’ heroics in goal when we faced Real Madrid in the Champions League final, and Aston Villa bottling it to Manchester City on the final matchday in the Premier League, Liverpool would have been the second English club to win a historic treble.
Bobby saw himself out of that 2021-22 campaign mostly due to injuries, and multiple ones at that. That is where he apparently felt ‘disconnected’ from the club’s ambitions, and things started to change in terms of his future at the club, at probably that moment.
As revealed in his book, Si Senor, here is what Firmino had to note while describing the moment he was ‘most disappointed’ with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool (as interpreted by The Athletic – subscription required):
“The now 32-year-old re-emphasises his admiration of Klopp as the best manager he has ever played for, but the lack of minutes in that final was the moment he “felt most disappointed” in the German. Without elaborating further, Firmino thought Klopp’s decisions that night “made things easier” for Madrid.”
Si Senor
That final was one of the best games Liverpool ever played with nothing to show. One moment of lapse saw the Reds lose the trophy. Bobby came on in the 77th minute of that game replacing Thiago Alcantara. Created two chances and had one shot on goal in that brief while as per FotMob.
He could have arguably had a greater impact on the game if he came on earlier. But in hindsight, everything is possible. The circumstances in the game, before the game, surrounding injuries and whatnot might have had an impact on Jurgen Klopp’s decision-making during the game.
But what’s done is now done. Bobby will surely have no regrets when he looks back on his career with the Reds. There’s obviously no love lost between Klopp and Firmino as he notes in the book as well. In fact, it is next to impossible to lose love for Bobby, especially when he has 111 goals and 79 assists for you in 362 appearances across all competitions.
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In the end, what matters is that Bobby was a great servant for the club and Jurgen Klopp. He deserves all the love and respect that the fans can show him. We must also understand from a player’s point of view that it boils down to as much playing time as possible.
