'What's going on?' - Roberto Firmino thought Jurgen…

'What's going on?' - Roberto Firmino thought Jurgen Klopp was trying to intimidate him in first ever meeting

Roberto Firmino believes he has "evolved" this season as the Liverpool man detailed the moment he suspected he was being intimidated by Jurgen Klopp.

Firmino has featured in all bar one game for the Reds this campaign having had his previous term severely hampered by a succession of hamstring injury problems.

The 30-year-old has provided three goals and three assists in eight outings and became only the 19th player in Liverpool history to reach the 100-goal landmark when netting his second in the 9-0 romp over Bournemouth last month.

While largely employed in his usual number nine role, Firmino has twice come off the bench to feature in an attacking midfield position with Reds boss Klopp looking to capitalise on the player's versatility.

And Firmino said: "I'm delighted to reach the milestone of 100 goals in a Liverpool shirt, representing such a great club. I've evolved. I had a few injuries that held me back last season. Thank God I'm back this season, I feel good, highly motivated for the upcoming games and competitions we're competing in.

"I hope to be continuously developing and improving to give my best on the pitch, always looking to win games and trophies with this team."

Liverpool have won only two of their first six Premier League games and opened their Champions League campaign with a 4-1 drubbing at Napoli, although they responded with a 2-1 home win over Ajax in midweek.

"We haven't started the season well, we've had a few slip-ups and three draws, but there are a lot of games and a lot of the season to come," said Firmino.

"We can't lose our enthusiasm or let our heads go down. There's a lot of potential in our team. We trust in our character and potential. We learn from our errors to avoid repeating them in future games. We're a big team, we know what we're capable of and we'll continue fighting until the end of the season."

Firmino has been named in the Brazil squad for their final World Cup warm-up friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia later this month having been absent for his country for more than a year.

And he added: "I have to continue working hard here (at Liverpool), that's what I've been doing. Of course, I dream of being at the World Cup.

"I've always been a positive person. I was sad of course not to be part of previous squads, there were unforeseen things like injuries. The manager Tite is the one who considers who I'm competing with for a place, it's not for me to identify. My first thought is to be there. I'll be anxious about it, hopeful of being called up as that's what I work hard towards and where I want to be."

Firmino has praised the impact made on his Liverpool career by Klopp, but admits his first encounters with the Reds boss while with Hoffenheim in Germany left him somewhat perplexed.

"Whenever we came up against Dortmund, Jurgen would routinely be in the middle of the pitch closely observing opposition players warm up," he said. "I'd look at him and think: what's going on, is he trying to intimidate us? I found it interesting and it was always great to come up against that Dortmund team.

"Having him with us today is amazing. He never stops giving me advice. He's a massive father figure for me here at Liverpool. I'm so grateful to play under and be coached by a great leader. I thank him for everything I've learned. I will always be highly complimentary for everything he's done for me and also the club."

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