Liverpool take on Burnley today as they look to bounce back from defeat at Arsenal last week.
Losing against the Gunners was a hard one to take. But the Reds have a good opportunity to get back on track this afternoon, with 19th placed Burnley visiting Anfield.
There can be no room for complacency though, Liverpool’s attitude has to be right. Thankfully, as seen in a training video on Liverpool’s official X account on Thursday evening, the Reds players look geared up, relaxed and ready to rock.
The video shows a shooting drill at the end of a session two days ago. In it, both Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are spotted doing a pretty good impression of Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino.
Taking a turn each at firing off a no-look shot, Diaz and then Nunez slot two perfectly placed strikes into the bottom left corner, all while looking the other way. More of that this afternoon please, boys.
Bobby’s legacy lives on at Liverpool
Of course, Firmino is not the only player in football history to attempt things without looking. But he possibly did it more than any other.
If the opportunity presented itself, then Bobby would do it. Over his time at Liverpool the Brazilian must have scored at least three or four goals without looking at the ball. It was his thing.
Since Firmino left for Al Ahli last summer, the hole he left behind has been difficult to fill.
It’s true that Liverpool have not necessarily missed the 32-year-old in terms of goal contributions and things like that. But Firmino brought a skill, poise and joy to any game that is impossible to replicate.
Playing style wise, both Diaz and Nunez are completely different to Bobby. But perhaps in the Colombian Liverpool’s former No.9 has something of a natural heir.
Diaz is another who tends to play football with a smile. When he arrived at the club in January 2022, Jurgen Klopp often pointed out how happy Lucho looked when on the training pitch.
As we’ve seen plenty of times in the two years since, the 27-year-old is a box of tricks. He’ll try things on a pitch that others – expect maybe Firmino – wouldn’t dream of.
In that spirit, we’re not completely sure that Diaz hasn’t scored a no-look goal for Liverpool already. Go back and watch his late goal against Arsenal last month. We’re not convinced that the Reds No.7 wasn’t attempting to pull off a Bobby. If he was, he succeeded.
He’ll never topple the king, though. Great to see the spirit of Firmino alive and well at the AXA.
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