Robertson: What we have achieved would not be possible without Bobby

Andy Robertson has given Roberto Firmino the ultimate tribute as the Brazilian prepares to bid farewell to Liverpool.

While Football is a team sport, you inevitably get a level of individual tension and different cliques develop in the dressing room which if not knocked on the head can develop into a toxic situation.

One of the great underrated qualities of the Jurgen Klopp reign is that by and large he has been able to mould together a number of different personalities which leads to the players singing from the same songbook and you get a sense that they generally like each other. 

And it says an awful lot about Firmino that there is nothing but universal love for the 31 year-old, be it from teammates, the coaches and of course the fans who produced a fitting tribute for him at the King Power stadium on Monday night and will undoubtedly be replicated at Anfield tomorrow afternoon against Aston Villa.

The definition of a selfless Footballer should have a picture of Firmino and his toothy grin right beside it.

There are not many (if any) modern day Centre forwards who get as much satisfaction from setting up teammates or fiercely pressing the opposition which leads to a goalscoring opportunity. 

And while many instantly link sublime attacking Brazilian football to the likes of Pele, Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho and Neymar to name just a few, Firmino has demonstrated another side to the art of South American forward craft with his workrate second to none, and he mixes that with his own level of technical quality.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Villa, Robertson spoke with great fondness of Firmino as the Athletic (per the Mirror) reported.

“The best way to sum up Bobby’s contribution to Liverpool would be that, without him, nothing would have been possible.

“The way we wanted to play, the way we went about our business, everything started with Bobby, with his pressing and his technical ability. He was our main man. When you look back on the great moments, Bobby was always involved in them — such an important player in helping us achieve the success that we did."

Firmino has been a stalwart in the modern era of the Liverpool Football club, even preceding the arrival of Klopp and has scored 109 goals from 360 appearances.

While Robertson has shared the pitch with him for a number of those games, even he has put himself in the position of a fan and watched on in awe.

My favourite Bobby moment would probably be his hat-trick against Arsenal at home (in December 2018),. "We went behind early doors and then the way we reacted was unbelievable to win 5-1. Bobby started it.

“There was that goal he scored where he dribbled past about five of their players — they were all falling at his feet. That summed up how incredibly talented he is as a player and what a good football brain he’s got."

As for the farewell message, Robertson was straight to the point.

“Bobby, you’ll be missed. I’ve loved every moment of playing with you for the past six years. It’s been an amazing time.

“You’re such a special player and such a special person to share a changing room with. I want to wish you and your family all the best with whatever the future holds for you. I know you’ll be successful wherever you go.”