He makes excellent tactical analysis videos. This one is brilliant. Highlights a big issue with Fernandinho when we are pressed well. Goes against what most ardent Fernandinho fans think so not sure it will get coverage.
In a nutshell, Firmino presses our backline, but rather than trying to actually win the ball, his press is to stop Fernandinho from taking the ball on the pivot. Most teams press from behind Fernandinho with the hope of pouncing on his first touch. Liverpool press ahead of him so it makes it look like Otamendi or Kompany are being pressed, but that's not the case. Firmino is simply removing the option for us to use Fernandinho in the build up. A truly elite player in this position would be intelligent enough and brave enough to adapt to this situation. Fernandinho shows a lack of desire to actually want the ball as he is seemingly worried about the follow up press by their midfield 3, particularly as he will be pivoting into it.
The more he actually disengages with being on the ball, the rasher he becomes when he finally gets on it. He finds it very difficult to play through big momentum shifts because he offers very little control. He then tries to make his mark in a physical way but loses all tactical discipline. The vast majority of the mini implosions we have suffered under Pellegrini and Pep have occurred with Fernandinho at the heart of the team. He was also a part of the Brazil team that imploded against Germany.
He along with a few other well liked players are not of the quality of their counterparts at the very top clubs in Europe and it is difficult to get that point across because so many people are blind to it, mainly because it is only an issue in a small percentage of games. For us to win the CL it needs to be a non issue.
