Roberto Firmino is one of Jurgen Klopp’s favourite players at Liverpool.
“Mo Salah, world-class, but not every day. Sadio Mane, world-class, but not every day. Roberto Firmino, world-class, pretty much every day”, so the famous Klopp quote goes.
There is no doubting how big of an impact the Brazilian has made during his six-year stay (so far) at Anfield.
He was a pioneer of the “false 9” role and will continue there next season.
Yet there have been some signs of decline. His finishing has certainly regressed, even though he was never a prolific scorer.
Firmino will be 30 in October. Liverpool are going to have to think about how to replace him soon.
Of course, they may not sign a direct replacement. They could move away from the false 9 system and sign a natural striker instead.
Perhaps Liverpool already have his replacement in Diogo Jota.
However, we will have a look at three options to replace Firmino if Liverpool do want to continue with a false 9 going forward.
Joao Felix
We begin with a player that will probably be the most exciting of our options for fans.
At 21-years-old, Joao Felix has already had two seasons at Atletico Madrid after a £113m move from Benfica.
Ok, the move has not worked out just yet. But we still back the Portuguese star to improve and become a world-class forward.
His position is probably best described as a second-striker. Felix is at his best in a role behind the No 9 but slightly more advanced than a No 10.
So, could he play as a false 9? We think he could.
He has the intelligence, creativity and quick feet to do what Firmino does excellently.
Felix would have to work on his pressing game. He only made 1.03 tackles and interceptions per 90 last season, which Jurgen Klopp would want him to improve on.
Yet there is no reason why he cannot do that.
If Liverpool want a superstar name with bags of potential, then Felix could be the man.
Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez is probably not one that you expected to see in the running to replace Roberto Firmino as a false 9.
Many probably see him as an out-and-out striker.
Yet he has adapted his game in recent years after the arrival of Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan.
The Belgian is very much the main man up top with Lautaro offering more of a supporting role.
He does the majority of the pressing, with 1.82 tackles and interceptions per 90.
He would have to work on his link-up play. The 23-year-old does not get as involved in deep positions as Firmino does, but we believe that he is capable of doing it.
He links up excellently with Lukaku so should be able to link up with two inverted forwards with ease.
On top of this, the Argentine brings goals. He scored 17 in Serie A last season to help Inter win the Scudetto.
Matheus Cunha: Firmino 2.0
We finish with a player that has numerous parallels with Firmino.
A Brazilian playing in Germany that has played as a No 10, a No 9 and out wide.
At 22-years-old, Matheus Cunha could be the perfect solution.
He has played the majority of his career as a No 10 but has been used up front more frequently recently, including for Brazil at this summer’s Olympic Games.
The natural position for him could well be as a false 9.
He scored seven goals and got four assists in 27 Bundesliga games last season.
It wasn’t a huge amount of goals, but his xG of 8.1 suggests that he is a better finisher than Firmino and would get more in Liverpool’s team.
His xA of 5.0 suggests that his teammates let him down in that regard too.
He also works incredibly hard, which is the key element of Firmino’s game.
Cunha made a huge 3.1 tackles and interceptions per 90 last season, which trumps Firmino’s 1.4.
Smart, creative, hardworking, capable of scoring goals and still incredibly young – Matheus Cunha could be the one.
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