During his legendary career at Liverpool, Roberto Firmino became known as Jurgen Klopp’s player, which is in stark contrast to his time under Brendan Rodgers.
Throughout his coaching career, no player has made more appearances for Klopp’s teams than Firmino, who played 355 games in eight seasons.
But when he joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim, it was unclear exactly where the £29million signing fit in, with Rodgers clearly preferring fellow newcomer Christian Benteke.
In Firmino’s book, ‘Yes Sir: My Liverpool Years’, the Brazilian details his relationship with Rodgers and how he finally found out that he never wanted to sign him.
“On the pitch, I had a terrible start that left me wondering how this was going to turn out,” Firmino recalled.
“He rarely played as a forward and when he did it was as a winger, with Christian Benteke playing in the middle.
“I remember the games against Manchester United and Arsenal in which I played on the right side of midfield, with the responsibility of defending more than playing; I spent a lot of my time dropping so deep and so wide that I was practically a fullback.
“I was a long way from the parts of the field where I could really make an impact.
“It was clear that the manager, Brendan Rodgers, didn’t know how to use me.
“I don’t think he understood my style of play; I definitely never understood his plans for me. Maybe it was because he didn’t actually have any.”
It was widely reported that, at a time when Liverpool’s recruitment structure was not as refined as it was in their successful years under Klopp, Firmino was effectively compensation for Rodgers to bring in Benteke.
There are several examples of which players were Rodgers’ signings and which were backed by the transfer committee, but it took Firmino years to realize:
“What I didn’t know, at least not at the time, was that he didn’t love me in the first place. The person who hired me didn’t bother to tell me this little detail. When I finally figured it out, it all made sense.
“It took me a long time: would you believe me if I said I discovered it only four years later? Just in time for that Boxing Day match in 2019, when Liverpool traveled to the King Power Stadium to take on Brendan Rodgers-managed Leicester City.
“A few weeks before that meeting, I came across an article that told the whole story. Rodgers wanted to sign Benteke to be Liverpool’s number 9. Bringing me had nothing to do with him; It was a decision made solely by Liverpool’s scouting and recruitment department.
“The club decided to bring us both and let the competition for a place play out on the pitch. Which was great, but it was the coach who selected the team, not the scouting department. Let’s say I started at a disadvantage. When I read that article years later, I had the feeling of: ‘ah, now I understand: that’s why they played me out of position… that’s why things weren’t working.’
“Rodgers treated me well, or so it seemed. He always smiled, he spoke to me in Spanish (although my Spanish wasn’t very good) and he called me friend. When it was time to finish the games, he barely recognized me. Friend, indeed.
“Fortunately, I didn’t have to hold on for long. In October he had been sacked… soon Jurgen Klopp took over and had other ideas; That was a totally different story. How different, I had decided to show him in Leicester… my way.”
Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Leicester on Boxing Day is widely regarded as one of the best performances the club has ever seen under Klopp.
Firmino scored two goals that afternoon at the King Power, and in ‘Yes Señor’ he revealed that he was already planning to celebrate in front of his former coach to “give him a message.”
“I never approached rival fans, I never made fun of my rivals, I never provoked anyone and I always shared the celebrations with my teammates,” he continued.
“But that day at the King Power Stadium, I admit, I was giving a message to the manager on the other bench, a reminder to Brendan Rodgers that he hadn’t believed in me like the boss did.”
