Jurgen Klopp has shown his support for Roberto Firmino after the Brazilian lost his place in Liverpool’s starting lineup.

The Reds won 5-0 away to Atalanta on Tuesday, producing a Champions League masterclass in Italy. Firmino was excluded from the starting lineup at the expense of Diogo Jota, with the Portuguese scoring a hat-trick, while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane bagged a goal apiece, too.

The quality of Jota’s display has led to some calling for him to start away to Manchester City this weekend, with Firmino under huge pressure after a poor run of form.

Speaking to the media after the Atalanta victory, Klopp stuck up for the 29-year-old, saying supporters have short memories:

Good performances never give me a headache! Tonight the decision was clear, it made sense first of all to use the good shape Diogo was in, and secondly because of the way Atalanta plays and defends, we should use the skillset of Diogo to help us.

The world is sometimes a bad place, that in the moment when somebody is shining we immediately speak about another player who played what feels like 500 games in a row. Without Bobby Firmino, we would not be in the Champions League even.

He will be in the team, and for a lot of people in the world if you ask them ‘what makes Liverpool special?’ they would say ‘the way Bobby Firmino is playing’.

For us it is important that we have more than 11. Tonight, Diogo played a super, super game but that says nothing about Bobby, and has nothing to do with me causing headaches. I am more than happy that the boys played like they played tonight.

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Klopp now has a huge decision to make ahead of Sunday’s vital Premier League clash with City in terms of whether or not to play Firmino.

The South American has been one of the most important players during this glorious period for the club but, for the first time in a long time, he isn’t delivering on a consistent basis.

It would be harsh for Jota to lose his place following such a great performance, but Firmino’s work ethic and intelligence could be so important in a game of such magnitude, should he click back into form. If he struggles again, however, he could be detrimental to Liverpool’s chances of getting a positive result.

It is a healthy selection headache for Klopp to have, but his final decision on Sunday could be pivotal.

Should Jota start over Firmino against Man City?

Yes

No