Arne Slot has FINALLY discovered Liverpool's next Roberto Firmino

Roberto Firmino, Liverpool
© IMAGO - Roberto Firmino, Liverpool

During the peak of Jurgen Klopp's time at Liverpool, the iconic trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mané drove the Reds to incredible heights.

While Salah and Mané often stole the spotlight for their prolific scoring, Firmino was certainly an orchestrator behind one of the most effective front threes in football history.

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The Brazilian tirelessly played the role of a "false nine," creating opportunities for his teammates with clever passes and winning crucial duels, all while occasionally finishing chances himself—earning deserved recognition for his unselfish efforts.

With Firmino’s departure to Al-Ahli in 2023, his playing style has been difficult to replicate. However, Liverpool may have found a player with the qualities to step into the Brazilian's shoes.

READ MORE: Salah drops MASSIVE contract HINT

Nunez could be the next Firmino

One player Arne Slot seems to have took a likening to is Darwin Nunez. Despite him being sidelined for some of the season falling second to Diogo Jota, he's stepped up while the Portuguese forward is out injured.

Granted he's not contributed in a goal scoring sense but his work rate off the ball has drastically improved. In just a few short months, Slot has improved his underperformance issue in front of goal by working on his pressing game.

Nunez’s physicality in a slightly deeper role could become highly effective as the Reds continue to strive for success. The Uruguayan's powerful, direct style adds an intensity that keeps defenders on their toes and the numbers reflect that as well.

Nunez is now taking less shots under Slot but he's also pressing far more frequently and therefore becoming very eerily similar to Firmino under Klopp.

Salah and Nunez partnership

One key aspect of Nunez's game is how he can replicate a similar partnership with Salah similar to what the Egyptian had with Firmino. They are already regarded as one of the best Liverpool duos.

The Salah-Nunez partnership has quickly established itself as one of Liverpool’s most potent threats, with room to grow even further. The adaptability of the duo has allowed Liverpool to deploy a more flexible forward line that can easily switch between build-up play and rapid counter-attacks.

With a long season ahead, this duo could be pivotal in Liverpool’s push for a potential quadruple. Their growing chemistry is giving fans a glimpse of what could be a formidable partnership.

How Slot has helped Nunez

A false-nine striker, a workhorse on the pitch can be really integral to grinding out performances, take Kai Havertz for example who had a difficult night for Arsenal in their 2-0 loss to Bournemouth.

The nitty-gritty stuff is key, and while Liverpool's engine room midfield has been on top of those duties so far, Nunez showed that Liverpool have a striker who can do exactly the same, adding a really important aspect for Slot's side moving forward.

The Dutchman has certainly made it his mission to get the best out of the Uruguayan. Slot and his staff, including Spanish-speaking Johnny Heitinga as well as fellow coaches Aaron Briggs and Sipke Hulshoff, are conducting daily meetings with Nunez, who has also had a number of individual sessions which include video analysis over where he can improve his pressing and off-the-ball runs.

There is still work to do but the transformation of Nunez could really help Liverpool's title charge.

READ MORE: 'INCREDIBLE' forward shows he is READY to complete HUGE transfer

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