Gary Neville makes surprise Roberto Firmino claim after £65m star shines against Manchester United

News about Liverpool FC: Fans have not been pleased with the analogy that the Sky Sports pundit made.
Kai Havertz of Arsenal has been compared by Gary Neville to former Liverpool player Roberto Firmino.

The German forward’s comeback under Mikel Arteta has contributed to Arsenal’s title challenge as he has had a remarkable run of play, netting 14 goals in 13 games. Although there is no denying Neville’s impressive run of form, his remarks could be interpreted as disparaging towards Firmino.

In an interview with Peter Drury for his Sky Sports podcast on YouTube, Neville asserted that Havertz is acting “similarly” to Firmino at Arsenal. “Havertz is acting in a manner reminiscent of Firmino’s actions at Liverpool.” He enters the game, links plays, and poses a goal threat, but he remains obedient to the group. During a game, he’ll assist the squad however they need it.

“Keep in mind that Havertz was largely under suspicion this season, but he’s grown to be a pretty significant character. Firmino used to be such a great player for Liverpool, in my opinion. The main praise and credit used to go to [Sadio] Mane and [Mo] Salah, but I would always bring up Firmino because of his style of play, which linked the attack and midfield. Havertz is acting in a like manner.

To be honest, some of Neville’s remarks are true. Players like Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka have flourished in 2024 because of Havertz’s ability to hold the ball up and get deep to interact with the action outside of the opponent’s area. Since the start of the season, Arsenal has won every game in the league, and all three of them have had excellent goal scoring records.

The problem with the comparison, though, is that Firmino was just a better player overall. It is simply more telling that Jurgen Klopp would say that he was “very, very influential in all the things we did” with a club that won several titles and finished second behind Manchester City with 97 points, rather than bringing out endless numbers or standout examples.

He was not only an incredible attacker who could finish with either foot or his head, link up incredibly well, and dribble past multiple players, but he was also one of the best defensive pressing forwards in Europe, which helped to implement Klopp’s tactics and make Liverpool a very challenging team to play against.

But among Klopp’s most well-known remarks is this one: “Mo Salah, world class, but not every day.” World class, but not every day, Sadio Mane. World-class Roberto Firmino, virtually every day.” Havertz is undoubtedly a player in excellent form, working under a manager who is making the most of the immense potential he was once promised at Bayer Leverkusen. However, despite having certain characteristics similar to the former Liverpool player who transformed a position in England, Havertz isn’t the same as the former Liverpool star.

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