Gini Wijnaldum has revealed he respects Liverpool teammate Roberto Firmino even more after the Reds' Champions League defeat to Barcelona .
Jurgen Klopp's side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Barca at the Nou Camp with Luis Suarez netting against his former club before Lionel Messi produced two magical moments.
There were few positives for the Reds, despite a spirited performance, as they are up against it in their quest to back a European final for the second successive year.
But Holland international Wijnaldum has pin-pointed front man Firmino for praise over the lonely role he played.
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"After the game, I had way more respect for Roberto Firmino," Wijnaldum told Sky Sports. "I already had it for the way he played as a striker but now I have even more having been in that position.
"I know how hard it is to play well as a number nine for Liverpool , especially if you do it the way he does it and the way we want to play. It's really hard.
"I spoke with him after the game and told him how much respect I had for him playing as a striker for the whole season because it's so tough."
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The Merseyside club are still well and truly in the Premier League title race, with just a point separating them and Manchester City with two games to go.
And with Champions League glory still a possibility, however unlikely, Wijnaldum has urged his fellow Kop stars to regroup ahead of a vital week.
"We were really devastated," the former Newcastle man added. "[But] you always have to regroup, even after winning a game.
"You have to try and do the things you did well again and change the things that you didn't do well."
