Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has claimed that Roberto Firmino is one of the best false nines in football history.
Firmino has been an incredible player for Liverpool over the past seven years. And speaking to The Athletic, Lijnders suggested that the Brazilian is actually one of the best ever in his position.
“My respect for Bobby couldn’t be bigger. The passion for the game, the desire to make our team play well — when he plays well, our team plays well. That’s what a false nine is all about, and as a team using the spaces created by how he connects midfield with attack,” said the Dutch coach.
“He expends more energy in 60 or 70 minutes than many others in 90 minutes because he plays in the middle with pressure from everywhere. Can you imagine the concentration levels he reaches? Too much water kills the plant they say, so managing his game time is key for him to stay unpredictable. But I’m not surprised by his start to the season.
“The football world is going mad in judging players by stats. You can’t measure Bobby’s quality just through stats. He is a world-class false nine, one of the best ever. How can you question someone who always plays for the team and plays with his heart? We never doubted him. Technique, bravery, threat. He represents us.”
Firmino the archetypal false nine
There’s an important distinction here between a regular No.9 and a false No.9. Lijnders is in no way suggesting that Bobby Firmino is one of the greatest No.9’s ever to have played. As good as Firmino is, that would be ludicrous.
But in terms of playing as a deep-lying forward, he really has to be right up there.
The role is a relatively new one in football and there aren’t many who have played it throughout their careers. Lionel Messi, for example, was a perfect false nine for Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. But it isn’t perhaps the role that you’d really associate him with.
Firmino on the other hand, is pretty much the reference point. When the wider footballing world think of the 31-year-old, maybe they simply see a striker who has a pretty modest goal scoring record.
For those who have properly studied this Liverpool side though, Firmino’s job within it is very clear cut.
He’s the archetypal false nine and deserves the kind of accolades that Lijnders is bestowing on him here.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that the Brazil international won’t get his dues until long after he’s left Anfield. Those who would swap him for a more prolific forward will soon realise that it is he who often makes the rest of Liverpool’s attackers so lethal.
With Firmino’s contract running down, that day may not be too far away now. When his career at the club is looked back upon, it will become blindingly clear that what Lijnders is saying is absolutely spot on.
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