Firmino & Lopetegui in Asia: Exit and Entry
Firmino leaves after Al-Ahli's Asian glory, Lopetegui arrives in Qatar at a vital time
The smile was as broad as any of Jeddah’s roads, and there are plenty of wide avenues winding through the sprawling Saudi Arabian city where the car is king. Liverpool fans will know better whether Roberto Firmino looked happier when winning titles while dressed in red, but it is hard to imagine that there could have been any more joy on the Brazilian’s face on Saturday, May 3. Of all the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, the Brazilian looked happier than most.
That was because he had just been named Tournament MVP of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League and starred once more in the final as Al-Ahli beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-0. It was a deserved win and a case of third-time lucky for the Greens after two previous defeats at the same stage in 1986 and 2012, meaning that among the celebrations there was some sympathy for the Japanese team who had never made it this far before in ten previous appearances.
Firmino made both of the goals. The first was a pass for his fellow Brazilian Galeno. The second was a cross for Franck Kessie to head home from close range. Once they were two goals to the good, the Greens never looked like letting the game and the crown slip.
‘Bobby’ swapped the Mersey for the Red Sea in the summer of 2023, the latest in a spree of big name stars that headed to Saudi Arabia at the time. ‘The Big Four’ clubs (Ahli and Al-Ittihad in Jeddah and Riyadh pair Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal) were taken over the country’s Public Investment Fund, the same owners as Newcastle United to become some of the richest clubs in the world. Firmino joined Riyad Mahrez, Edouard Mendy, Kessie and others by the Red Sea.
At the time, Al-Ahli had just come back up from their first ever season in the second tier, and in came young German coach Matthias Jaissle. The return to the big time went pretty well, and the three-time champions finished third. This season though, was slightly different. Results were a little more inconsistent in the opening stages, there was criticism of Mahrez’s fitness and Firmino struggled to recapture his form from the previous campaign. In January Al-Ahli spent around $55 million to bring in Galeno, FC Porto’s Brazilian winger FC, a reflection, partly, on the league’s drive to move away from signing players already past their 30th birthday.
That was a problem for Firmino. Competition for places is one thing but the Saudi Pro League has a registration limit of ten foreign players and the older Brazilian had to give way. So from January, he has not been eligible to play any league game. “It was a difficult decision for the club, based on the league rules,” Jaissle –young enough to have played alongside Firmino at Hoffenheim –said at the time. “We have great appreciation [for Firmino], and he handled it in a professional way. He is still one of our leaders… Bobby is a special player. I can only say good things about him.”
The same limits do not apply in Asia so the player was active in the campaign that features eight group games, home and away in the second round and then the one-legged clashes from the last eight onwards. Firmino impressed. "They take me out of the league [squad] and of course leave me in the Champions League [squad]. I don't give up. I never give up,” he said upon receiving his MVP award. "I know who bring (sic) me here and I want to give back all the glory to God. He knows what plans are ahead for us. The great team, it is a pleasure to be a part of this big club."
There have been some opinions that Riyad Mahrez deserved the individual prize. Firmino scored six and assisted in seven. The former Manchester City star scored nine and made eight and also created eight clear chances. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Firmino took the stage for a photograph with his family, and the smiles just kept coming. It looks as if he will be off this summer, but when he does leave, he does so as a legend of a club despite not being eligible to play for them for a quarter of his time there.
Lopetegui and Qatar’s World Cup Dream
Firmino arrived in the region after a successful time in the English Premier League but the same can’t be said of Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard had nine months in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers and then his time at West Ham United was even shorter as he left East London in January.
Now, he has turned up as the new head coach of Qatar. After a string of Spanish bosses, the 2022 World Cup host has moved up a level in terms of reputation and resume. Tintin Marquez was one. He led the Maroons to the Asian Cup in February 2024. As that was a second successive continental triumph, it was expected that a first World Cup qualification would follow without much fuss, but the journey to North America has been far from smooth.
Indeed, Qatar have struggled in the third round of qualification. The top two of each of the three six-team groups go through automatically. With two games remaining next month, that is out of the question.
Qatar are fourth with ten points from eight games, seven and ten points behind Uzbekistan and Iran respectively. The stage started poorly, and then a 5-0 loss to rivals United Arab Emirates in November had Marquez in trouble and he was fired in the following month. Luis Garcia (not that one) took over. While there was an easy victory against bottom team North Korea in March, it was followed by a shocking 3-1 loss in Kyrgyzstan, which spelled the end.
Marquez seemed unsure of his best formation and with the team going through something of a transition as some of the stars from the 2019 and 2024 triumphs made way., consistency has been lacking. Akram Afif is still there, but there has been too much reliance on the attacker and best player to make the difference. Sometimes he does, sometimes not.
Lopetegui comes in with a contract that takes him to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. He will be judged on the World Cup however and there is still hope. While the top two qualify automatically, the six teams that finish third and fourth in each group will progress and then battle it out for two more places.
The two games remaining are at home to Iran on June 5 and then in Uzbekistan five days later –if Qatar were still in the running for the top two, these would be interesting games indeed. Instead, it is all about getting the three points to ensure that they get into the fourth stage to have another try to qualify for the first time. There is plenty for Lopetegui to do.