Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Roberto Firmino won’t be fit to face West Ham United tomorrow.
The Reds head to London to take on the Hammers in a big Wednesday evening fixture. But speaking in his pre-match press conference today, Klopp said that they’ll do so without Firmino.
“I thought I said last week that he wouldn’t be back this week as well. This week, no,” said the visibly irritated manager. “I hope that at the end of the week he’s closer, but so far he wasn’t in team training, so that’s it.”
Firmino sweating on Anfield farewell
Having had a good season generally, plenty of Liverpool fans would have liked to have seen Firmino extend his stay at Anfield into next season. But this late-season knock has underlined exactly why it’s the right time for the 31-year-old to leave.
The last three years have been stop-start for Bobby, as injuries have started to get a grip of him. This season alone he’s suffered three or four setbacks that have led to clumps of games missed.
Obviously, the worry now is that we won’t see him in a Liverpool shirt ever again. Although it’s the right time to say goodbye, it would be upsetting if supporters weren’t given the chance to do that with Bobby on the pitch.
For what he’s given the club over the last eight years, he’ll rightfully get an on-pitch farewell after Liverpool’s last home game of the season. But it would be even more special if he could mark the occasion with a goal, or some trademark Bobby magic.
More than the sentimentality of it though, the £29m man has been in good form of late. As well as scoring a couple of nice goals, Firmino has kept the Reds nicely ticking over. When he’s been on the pitch Liverpool have often looked a better side.
As they make a late scramble for top four, they could do with all the help they can get. For now at least though, it looks like they’ll have to start getting used to being unable to call on the help of their No.9.
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