Firmino – why the low expectations?

[rurikbird]

We've just signed a Brazilian star-in-the-making for 30M, a player who scored 16 league goals playing as a secondary striker/playmaker in 2013-14, broke into the Brazil national team this year, a player whose style fits our team to a tee – quick, creative, technically excellent, hard-working. He is at the perfect age – 23, and was well-settled in Germany, so any problems with settling in here are unlikely.

But all I hear about Firmino lately is "if he adapts...", "if it works out...", "let's see how much end product he can deliver" etc. I am usually the one to dissuade people from expecting too much too soon from new signings, but I think in this case the general opinion is way too cautious. Many people seem to think we bought another floaty AM who looks nice on the ball, but actually Firmino is not quite that type – he plays with swagger and athleticism, is not afraid to try the outrageous and when he loses the ball he tracks back aggressively and often wins it back. His style is closer to Suarez than Lallana. I really think people are going to be blown away when they actually see him play in person. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing the counter-attacking triangle of Coutihno-Firmino-Benteke in action.

Here's a couple of highlight reels to illustrate the point, I spent some time to find ones with only the good stuff and no distracting editing and effects, enjoy:

 

[StevieM]

I think, in all honesty, few have seen him play enough to form any sort of reasoned opinion - self included.

I also think not setting high expectations before he has played is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[RedStar]

Never heard of him before we signed him so there is no frame of reference. People have high hopes for him but its not like we signed him from a top club or battled a host of other teams for his signature. I think people are wary after all the hype last year with Markovic that quickly evaporated as he looked out of his depth, there really is no guarantee he will settle quickly if at all.

He looks a good player and seems to have a great attitude but as with all new players we will have to wait and see.

 

[Frogfish]

I've been following him, and mentioning him on here, for about two seasons now. I haven't seen him play more than a couple of games though since Hoffenheim are not often the BL match being shown here ! However from all the good reports and YouTube stuff he quickly made the Top 3 on my attacking wish-list, even though I thought he'd be beyond us and going to United/City/Bayern/Spain.

Can't wait to see him in Red, we are going to have a smack-arse attack this season (especially if Studge stays fit) and I can see us reverting to 2013/14 score lines !

 

[Frogfish]

Roberto Firmino proved himself to be a ‘special player’ in his time with Hoffenheim, according to the club’s chief scout Lutz Pfannenstiel.
The Brazilian secured a big-money move to Liverpool this summer and Pfannensteil, a former player himself, believes Firmino can adapt quickly and become one of the Premier League’s leading lights.

Firmino has already come a long way since arriving in Germany to little fanfare from Figueirense in 2011.

“He came very early to Hoffenheim, when not many people knew him yet, from a second division club in Brazil. He was a kid but he developed very well,” Pfannensteil said in an interview.

“He’s not the typical Brazilian player that you would imagine – obviously he’s fast, he’s technically strong, he can score goals but the last three years the work he has put in, not just in the games but on the training field, show that he is a special player.”

Pfannensteil revealed that a number of ‘big clubs from all over the world’ were interested in Firmino but feels that Liverpool was the perfect fit.
“In my opinion, going to Liverpool was the right choice,” he said. “I think Brendan Rodgers is just the right guy to work with him, he is always successful with younger players and will let him play for one of the biggest teams in the world. “I think he can become the same star in England that he was in Germany.”

Lutz Pfannensteil on Roberto Firmino
He also believes Liverpool's new No 11 can settle in to life on Merseyside quickly having already shown his ability to adapt following his move to Germany.
“The Brazilian guys that come in from Brazil to Europe, it is always a bit of a risk because it is a different culture, it’s different weather, different language but Roberto is now more than four years in Germany,” Pfannensteil added. “He learnt the language, he knows the European way of life. It’s not such a big cultural shock to go from Germany to England and also the languages are not so different. I think, at the end of the day, he will adjust very fast.

“He’s already said in an interview that he really enjoys it there and I can see him being a big fan favourite. Maybe soon he will play in the Champions League – I think that is what he wants. Liverpool is obviously a team that always can achieve that.”

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

The most remarkable thing about that article... is that I remember the name of the scout! In his playing days, he was a goalkeeper who played for a time in Southeast Asia, in the Malaysian and Singapore leagues.

He's playing days have been a bit of an adventure. Here's his Wiki record:

-- While playing football in Singapore, Pfannenstiel was accused of match-fixing and jailed for 101 days. However he was released due to a lack of evidence, and later cleared of the charges.

-- Pfannenstiel stopped breathing three times after a collision with Clayton Donaldson while playing for Bradford Park Avenue against Harrogate Town in a Northern Premier League match on 26 December 2002. The injury was so serious that the referee, John Moss, abandoned the match. Bradford Park Avenue were leading 2–1 at the time of the incident.

-- Pfannenstiel is today best remembered as the first, and so far only, football player to have played professionally in all six FIFA confederations.

 

[gkmacca]

His autobiography is quite entertaining:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Unstoppable-Keeper-Lutz-Pfannenstiel/dp/1909534285

 

[Mystic]

Thankfully by signing him early and with relatively little fan fare, and the long distracting pursuit of Benteke, most people have almost forgot about him, which is great, because it just removes the pressure from him.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Kid really looks the fucking show.
Although he can cut out taking off his shirt when he scores.
He's already my favorite player and I've never seen him play.
Will be agitating for a move to Barcelona in January.

 

[MaBigTip]

Can anyone counteract this massive jinx?

 

[doctor_mac]

From those vids I like that he seems to have a package of great attributes. Can head, very alert passer, clever movement and the ability to pressure defenders into mistakes. He looks perfect for us, and with Benteke will give us a bit more grunt in the attacking side of the pitch. The likes of Sterling, Studge and Lallana were brushed off the ball too much last season. Ibe, Benteke and this guy could give defenders a physical contest.

 

[Ryan]

39 seconds into this video. He does the look-away-whilst-burying-it-in-the-net thing that only swag merchants do.

I'd never seen that before. I just blew my load.

Fuck this, I'm on the bandwagon. Cunt's a stonecold swagaholic.

 

[Squiggles]

It's probably down to a lack of exposure and doubts over where he'll play and where he fits into Rodgers plans. The underwhelming seasons of Lallana and Markovic have done Firminho a big favour.

 

[Ryan]

Awwwww shit, 5:29 he's only gone and done it again.

That's it, I'm switching this laptop off before my heart stops.

Cunt's making my veins twitch.

 

[Ryan]

I feel like I wanna get flights to Liverpool now just to see the cunt train.

 

[Ryan]

Now we know why Sterling was so keen to leave.

He'd seen this cunt's youtubes and shit himself.

 

[Ryan]

Gerrard didn't even want to be in the same country as him so fucked himself off to Lagos Galaxy or wherever the fuck he is.

 

[doctor_mac]

39 seconds into this video. He does the look-away-whilst-burying-it-in-the-net thing that only swag merchants do.

I'd never seen that before. I just blew my load.

Fuck this, I'm on the bandwagon. Cunt's a stonecold swagaholic.

Yeah, that made me pretty excited.

 

[StevieM]

Yeah, that made me pretty excited.

What.... Ryan blowing his load?

 

[doctor_mac]

What.... Ryan blowing his load?

Not so much Steve.

 

[6TimesaRed]

He has got a decent first touch...

the footage a 0.39 was very Suarez like..

 

[doctor_mac]

The only thing missing is step-overs and nutmegs. I think he needs to work on that shit pronto.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Is Ryan drunk?

Will be interesting to see if he's physically able for the premiere league

 

[Halmeister]

I've never seen him play, and Woland's posts about what his Brazilian friend have made me extremely pessimistic. Like I could get any more pessimistic.

 

[Red Astaire]

Can anyone counteract this massive jinx?

I'll step up to the challenge - He looks massively underwhelming. A bit lightweight. He's going nowhere near my fantasy football team....

 

[iseered]

Is Ryan drunk?

Will be interesting to see if he's physically able for the premiere league

I think Ryan is past it as a footballer to be honest. The drinking doesn't help either.

 

[peekay]

After last season's disappointment, I think people are a little bit wary of getting too excited.

 

[FreshRed]

Although he can cut out taking off his shirt when he scores.

I was counting the number of suspensions this would lead to, but at least no sign of him biting anyone.

 

[Insignificance]

Not so sure the expectations are lowest toward Firmino... but more to how the tactical genius set up his team. Including last summers signings we have about 10 players to adapt and fit into exact the same positions which means a lot of rotating, no stability and every one delivering only a half decent game Will be on the bench next game.....

 

[gkmacca]

You can't have high expectations about a player you haven't seen play. That's all.