According to Nathan Ake, departing Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino is one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced. Ake, who joined Manchester City in 2020 from Bournemouth for £41 million, has played against several top strikers in the Premier League.
However, he revealed that he considers Firmino to be the standout name, having faced him 11 times and winning just twice. Ake praised Firmino’s versatility, stating that he can do “everything” on the pitch, from cutting in to dropping deep and being very good with the ball.
Firmino’s involvement in the Liverpool forward line has decreased significantly due to the arrivals of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.
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The 31-year-old will leave Anfield on a free transfer this summer after spending eight seasons with the club. Ake also named Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah as two of the trickiest wingers he has faced since playing as a full-back for Man City.
Given that Liverpool has been one of Man City’s toughest challengers in the Pep Guardiola era, it’s perhaps not surprising that two of the three players Ake selected are Liverpool forwards. Firmino, along with Salah and Sadio Mane, formed a formidable front three that repeatedly dismantled Guardiola’s side, including a 3-0 win in the first leg of the 2017/18 Champions League quarter-final at Anfield.
Ake is expected to line up against Salah and possibly even Firmino on Saturday, having started in four of the last five league games. It remains to be seen whether the departing Brazilian will leave one final reminder of why he is such a difficult opponent to play against.
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