Roberto Firmino was subjected to a lot of criticism at the start of the season, after his £29 million move to Liverpool FC from the Bundesliga. However, the Brazilian has improved by leaps and bounds since then, and is now the most effective player in the Premier League in 2016.
Although he was brought to the club when Brendan Rodgers was still at the helm of affairs, it is under Jurgen Klopp that the Brazilian has come to his own at Anfield.
The goal he scored against Crystal Palace, when Liverpool were a goal and a man down, made him the most effective (statistically) player in the Premier League this season.
In fact, since the turn of the year, Firmino has been involved in 11 goals for Liverpool in the Premier League. His combined goals and assists count for 2016 now stands at more than that of any other player in the top flight of English football at the moment.
.@Roberto_Firmino likes the look of 2016 so far.
More stats: https://t.co/Xj3jVLAUCy pic.twitter.com/L9FZIZ4dIe
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 7, 2016
Firmino is followed on this list by Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, and Chelsea forward Diego Costa, who have both had direct influences on 10 of their respective team’s goals in the Premier League this year. However, since Aguero has scored more goals than Costa, the Argentine has been named the second most influential player in the Premier League this year.
The big game player
Firmino has played a huge part in Klopp’s Liverpool side this season, and has been crucial in quite a few famous victories that the Reds can boast of. In fact, there have been 10 matches in all competitions this season, when Firmino has scored or assisted. Out of these, half have been against the traditionally big teams (plus Leicester). A 3-1 win at Chelsea, the 3-3 draw against Arsenal, and the recent 3-0 triumph over Manchester City have seen huge contributions from Firmino this season.
@Dammishegs Roberto Firmino’s Premier League season by numbers
25 games
40 chances created
38 take-ons
19 shots on-target
8 goals
7 assists— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 8, 2016
However, the Brazilian came in for some criticism, after he failed to replicate the good performance in the final of the League Cup against Manchester City. In spite of that, Firmino has shown that he does not go missing in the big games, and it would be interesting to see whether his performances become even more consistent, once he fully acclimatises himself to English football. This is after all, his first season in the Premier League.