Liverpool star Roberto Firmino insists mental strength beats a 'skinny' physique any day
Sunday 18 December 2016 17:14, UK
Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino insists it does not matter if he is "skinny" as his mental strength can match the Premier League's biggest defenders.
The sleight Brazilian is 5ft 9in and weighs around 76kg, but has adjusted to the physicality of English football after moving from Hoffenheim in 2015.
Ahead of the derby against Everton on Mersey Monday, Firmino says he does not fear any opponent regardless of their size.
"There is no fear at all," he said. "Sometimes people see you as skinny and then they think 'he is not a strong player', but what matters is what you feel and what you do inside the pitch.
"No matter how skinny you are, the important thing is how you think psychologically. If you think you are strong, you are really strong, and I class myself as a strong player. I'm not intimidated by powerful defenders.
"Maybe when you are younger, playing against huge centre-backs might cause some fear to you, but when you are an older player there is no more fear. You simply play as best you can and go about your work."
Liverpool can reduce the gap with league-leaders Chelsea to six points with victory at Goodison Park, live on Sky Sports 1 HD tomorrow night.
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But Reds forward Sadio Mane insists they must not pay any attention to the west London side and concentrate on winning as many games as they can if they hope to win the title themselves.
"The most important thing is not to think about where they are; it's to focus on ourselves and go game-by-game, and try to win the games until the end of the season," he said.
"Everton is a tough game. I think with the quality we have we can beat every team in the league, so I don't know why we can't go there and win."
