Liverpool legend John Barnes has backed Jurgen Klopp to keep all of his attackers amid recent claims there could be a tussle for game time.
Jurgen Klopp was forced to tweak his formation a bit when Liverpool took on Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.
Firmino has been a key cog in the Liverpool attack since his arrival at the club in 2015 but his goal contributions seem to have dwindled of late. A certain Diogo Jota only joined from Wolves this summer and has already outperformed the aforementioned Brazilian.
This season alone, Jota already has scored as many goals as Firmino has in 2020. Many have already called for Klopp to deploy the Portuguese forward as a starter over Firmino.
The Liverpool boss made a tough decision by deploying both players alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in attack for the Reds against Manchester City.
It might be difficult to balance the issue of game time but John Barnes believes Klopp would be able to pull it off and keep all Liverpool attackers happy.
“I must admit, I didn’t think Jota would get this much air time. I knew he was a good player but I don’t think anyone could have imagined he’d do this well.” the ex-Reds star said as quoted by Goal.
“Normally, it takes a while for players to fit into their new club, their new surrounding, their new system, but not Jota.”
“Every time he’s come on he’s done really well, and it shows from the recruitment point of view that Jurgen Klopp is spot on in terms of looking at players who he knows can fit into what he wants – but I don’t think Firmino has anything to worry about.”
“Firmino and Jota are very different players and just because Firmino hasn’t scored a lot of goals lately, it’s important to remember that he plays a different role within the front three.”
“Furthermore, Mane and Salah wouldn’t score as many goals if it wasn’t for the way Bobby plays. It all comes down to incredible team work.”
It won’t be the first time Barnes has spoken on this matter and the Liverpool legend maintains that Jota will not displace Firmino in the Liverpool lineup. It could be so but that decision is ultimately up to Jurgen Klopp.
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