LIVERPOOL FORWARD ROBERTO Firmino has been named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Fans’ Player of the Month for January.
The 24-year-old beat off competition from 11 other Premier League stars to claim 40.2% of the vote, with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney finishing second and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane taking third.
The Brazil star hit four goals in four appearances over the month of January, helping his club to a 3-3 draw with Arsenal before a stunning 5-4 victory over Norwich City.
His fine form has arrived since Jurgen Klopp moved him to a false number 9 role, the position in which all of his 11 international caps have come.
“I have played there for the national team before as a striker and I’ve been getting used to the position,” Firmino said.
“I enjoy playing as a forward but I am there to help the team and am happy as long as I am playing. It is another challenge, I am playing in this position and I am well prepared for it.”
Firmino, who arrived at Anfield from German club Hoffenheim in June last year, has now managed six goals in 16 league starts during his first season in England.
Injury saw him replaced in the Brazil squad by veteran Santos striker Ricardo Oliveira for October’s World Cup qualifiers. Firmino was then left out of the squad for November’s clashes with Argentina and Peru.
All of Firmino’s Selecao appearances have come since Dunga’s July 2014 appointment and he is now hoping his form with Liverpool will earn him a recall for March’s qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay.
Good piece and great to see him doing so well, Munster are certainly in the upper tier of teams in Europe and a real handful at home but the crunch needed against the power teams in a semi or final they are a bit away. This new setup will take time and will have its down days but with the right acquisitions and leadership they could be there in a couple of years.
@mrbryanrussell: What Munster have been missing from the past 8 years is what it is needed to win a Champions cup/ Heinekin Cup – a world class 7 and world class 10. Unfortunately Munster have have just a series of bad luck in this department – constant injuries to TOD, Bleyendaal and now Cloete and Carbery have knocked their season and when you’re relying on 2nd and 3rd choice players in these positions it is highly unlikely you will make it all the way to the final in May.
There’s always a reaction when Munster don’t do well, especially from certain quarters within and outside rugby who like to twist the knife when they get the opportunity.
However Munster are still not far off making a breakthrough but there are a few things needed for that to happen in my opinion.
The new coaching staff and shift in playing style needs to bed in.
We desperately need some players of the right quality to come through the academy. When I say “the right quality” I don’t mean simply international quality but players made out of the same stuff as Clohessy, Galway, Foley, Quinlan, Stringer, ROG etc.
Players who are 100% Munster and would see pulling on the red jersey (of Munster!!) as the greatest honour imaginable.
It might be a big ask now that we’re so removed from the amateur era but a couple of players like that would be gold dust.
We need to shift away from the notion that the HC is the only thing that matters. Too many times in recent years we’ve shot ourselves in the foot by putting ourselves in a poor position in the Pro14 by going after a European Cup we were never likely to win.
Build towards making ourselves as good as anyone in the league, win it and evolve from there.
We need to ensure that any players that are brought in from outside, either IQ or not, are of the required quality and willing to give 100% to Munster.
And probably above all else we need a bit of luck, especially with injuries.