Now coming to the end of his seventh season as a Liverpool player, Roberto Firmino’s place in Anfield lore is cemented.
But the last time the Reds hosted Villarreal, the situation was a little different for a player still trying to establish himself. Firmino scored 11 times in his maiden season after arriving in the summer of 2015, but earned an unfair reputation for going missing in the biggest games.
Just two months before the Yellow Submarine headed to Anfield in April 2016, the forward put in a disappointing display in the League Cup final defeat to Manchester City. “Only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat,” Jurgen Klopp said after tasting his first defeat in a major final as Liverpool boss.
