Liverpool’s star is becoming the new Firmino and it’s not Ekitike or Wirtz

Being a Liverpool fan is like being an avid fisherman: you can be away for hours, not getting excited, but suddenly, just as you’re about to pack it in, you get a bite.

For Liverpool, most of this campaign has been boring and difficult, but the boredom of the fans has been promised some kind of interest in the dramatic decline of this team, and the fear of exiting the Champions League that has been a few months.

Against Galatasaray, Arne Slot and his team needed to drop one goal and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But following a flurry of power to send them off the pitch at Anfield after Sunday’s torrid loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, they need to do their best.

And on that count, in the end, the Reds delivered.

How Liverpool beat Galatasaray

Most of Slot’s post-match interviews this season have been hit and miss, but this time, the Dutchman was all smiles after a comprehensive victory that Jamie Carragher called his best of the season.

Liverpool were miles ahead of their recent form, and now they need to maintain this form at the business end of the season. There is a lot to play for, fifth in the Premier League, heading to Manchester City in the FA Cup and looking to avenge last year’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Europe.

To achieve their goals, they must play with the same kind of rip roar that marked their victory over Galatasaray. Gala manager Okan Buruk told Peter Schmeichel after the loss at Anfield that he was surprised by the pressure and energy of Liverpool, who had been absent for most of the English club’s season.

Liverpool drew in the crowd, as has happened many times over the years on nights like this. Mohamed Salah rallied after a poor first half to produce a goal and assist, and while he was without Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane by his side, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike played at a high level.

Slot made a tactical tweak, bringing Salah closer to the danger zone, making his tasks easier. The combined energy of Ekitike and Wirtz was infectious, and it allowed Salah, 33, to channel the energy that has proved so useful to the Merseysiders over the years.

In that, there was a certain Firmino-esque air about the performance, but while Ekitike and Wirtz shared qualities with the Brazilian icon, there was another member of the Reds who proved to be the new Bobby of the Kop.

The Slot found Liverpool’s new Firmino

You probably didn’t expect the next part to be about Milos Kerkez, but that’s why the young left-back has become Slot’s version of Firmino, who scored 111 goals and provided 75 assists in 362 appearances for Liverpool, winning the lot.

When Liverpool signed Firmino from Hoffenheim for around £30m, he was given the task of leading a new team that had recently lost its dominant image. It was an impossible task.

And the Brazilian struggled early on, unable to prevent Brendan Rodgers from being axed and coming in and out of the starting line-up. He scored just one goal in his first 17 Premier League games, with the arrival of Jurgen Klopp failing to change the fortunes of top-flight Liverpool.

But you can tell that Firmino has changed things. It’s a dangerous game to judge a young player too early, and Kerkez, who is only 22 years old, proves that it is.

Hungary were heroic against Galatasaray, not to be found down the left channel. Liverpool kept 62% of the ball but outscored the Turkish team by 3km. Against Spurs at the weekend, they went over 9km (Andy Robertson started over Kerkez).

It hasn’t been easy since Kerkez took £40m from Bournemouth to Merseyside last summer. In fact, he was called a “terrible distraction” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in October, a flop that couldn’t cut the mustard in his step big time.

But the defender’s speed and purpose allow him to shine and shine. He’s the real deal, right, and he’s smartly passed over to allow Wirtz to come inside from the left side, thereby disrupting the game from the right spots.

He won duels, recovered loose balls and kept things organized. His brutal start to the game gave his fans an undeniable shock. This was a night of European thrashing at Anfield. Liverpool scored an equaliser. But the crowd’s mood had been dampened by disappointing displays, and someone needed to step up and remind the big crowd that this is Liverpool and European nights are their forte.

Kerkez isn’t a finished product, but he’s starting to make more than a few looks a little silly, after writing him off early after some tense and uncertain games.

Recently, there have been absurd claims about Kerkez’s start to life in Liverpool. Some pundits have questioned why Robertson isn’t playing as much, but it’s a little late in the season, as the young defender has been coming on strong in recent months.

Commentator Raj Chohan described him as a “floor lifter” after the 4-0 win. What do you mean by that? Kerkez’s enthusiasm and passion successfully improve those around him, creating collective cohesion and individual merit.

There’s something Firmino-esque about that, with Bobby being self-sacrificing and putting himself forward, not for himself but for the unit. He’s “a machine”, as Sky Sports’ Izzy Christiansen noted, and he’s only getting better.

Kerkez still has a long way to go before he can call himself a club legend like Firmino or Robertson, but there is no doubt that he has the potential to become one of the best left-backs in the world, replacing the irreplaceable Scottish veteran.

Firmino stepped into Luis Suarez’s pot all those years ago. He couldn’t copy the Uruguayan player, one of the greatest goalscorers in history, so he made his own role.

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