Why doesn’t Firmino score as much as other strikers?

1- His finishing isn’t amazing. No one ever claimed that, either

2- He plays as a striker on paper but that doesn’t reflect his actual role on the pitch. He’s asked to press, drop back, recycle possession, etc.

This is his heatmap vs Bournemouth in a 2-1 victory. It clearly shows that some of his touches are literally at the defensive line. The majority are between the goal and the half way line, which, when compared to an ACTUAL out-and-out striker, look ridiculously conservative.

Lewandowski in a 3-1 win over Freiburg. Most of his touches are around the D, in and around the box and on the wings near the corners. Rarely any in Bayern’s own box (the ones in the 6 yard box are corner clearances)

You can clearly see that Lewandowski, a traditional striker (and a world class finisher), has the majority of his touches in and around the 18 yard box with rarely any in his own half. Firmino, on the other hand, is not fantastic at finishing and a LOT of his touches are...

in his own half. The term “defensive striker” doesn’t explain his role very much, he’s more of a “False 9”. He is absolutely crucial to Liverpool as his movement and space creation à la Müller allows Salah and Mané to get forward.

He was actually never a striker at Hoffenheim-

He was utilised in a CAM position. Here is a TifoFootball video explaining everything.

Criticising Firmino for not scoring is like criticising any playmaking midfielder for not scoring. Plus, his numbers are WAY MORE impressive than people think they are. 15 G/A this season is actually on course to beat any of his previous league G/A amounts.