Firmino and his Liverpool cohorts failed to find the net as the went down 1-0 at Napoli last night. Klopp wasn’t entirely happy with the former Hoffenheim star’s contribution. But Firmino is just grateful that he is able to play after the initial shock of the injury
“I was frightened, but the pain gradually passed after the doctor gave me a painkiller and it got better,” he added.
“When the incident happened, everything was blurry and I couldn’t see out of my left eye. It’s much better. The pain has gone and I can’t feel anything anymore. It’s still a bit red, but I hope that clears up over time.”
Liverpool face fellow table-toppers Manchester City on Sunday as they look to retain their unbeaten Premier League record.
Jurgen Klopp admitted Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were guilty of holding on to the ball for too long in Liverpool’s defeat to Napoli on Wednesday evening. A late goal from Lorenzo Insigne sealed the win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, while Klopp admitted after the game that Liverpool deserved to lose due to their poor performance. The defeat leaves Liverpool second in Group C, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain, while Napoli are top on four points.
‘The formation was not right, we moved in the wrong spaces, for the three midfielders the job was nearly impossible,’ Klopp told BT Sport. ‘With the ball we were to hectic when there was no reason to be hectic.
Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne believes Roberto Firmino is Liverpool’s most dangerous player ahead of Mohamed Salah. Jurgen Klopp’s side face the Serie A club in the Champions League on Wednesday evening and are looking to secure their second win in Group C after beating Paris Saint-Germain in their opening fixture.
Most of the focus ahead of the match has been on Salah’s inconsistency in front of goal since the start of the season. And Insigne concedes his Napoli teammates should be more wary of Firmino’s ability in Liverpool’s attack. ‘They have a lot of strong players, even those on the bench,’ said Insigne.
‘But Firmino is the most decisive player because he comes to play between the lines and opens up the spaces for his teammates. ‘I hope together with my teammates to put them in trouble and be able to make chances.’
Yesterday marked the birthdays of star players Firmino and Alisson, who turned 27 and 26 respectively. To celebrate the occasion, Klopp decided to halt training. Footage from the open session shows the squad standing in a circle before the German boss instructs them to give the pair several rounds of applause.
The clip has gone viral online, where fans have flocked to the comments section.
“This is why everyone loves Klopp,” one wrote.
Another added: “Show me a more wholesome club, I dare you.”
And a third said: “Got to love Klopp, so unpredictable and very good humour.”
#LFC singing Happy Birthday to Roberto Firmino and Alisson in training yesterday in the different languages/traditions represented in the squad pic.twitter.com/Xu8uxllndq
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) October 3, 2018