One of many first issues that had Jurgen Klopp drawn to Diogo Jota in the summertime of 2020 was his versatility. That was maybe not the very very first thing the Liverpool boss found, nonetheless, however his potential to carry out in numerous positions helped the German sit up and take observe. It was throughout evaluation conferences of video games towards Wolves when Klopp was initially first struck by Jota’s work charge.
It was accepted contained in the confines of the Liverpool set-up that Wolves had been one of many few groups that labored simply as exhausting as they did out and in of possession and Jota was one of many trendsetters in that individual system on the Molineux.
So when the time got here for the Reds’ recruitment workforce to take a better look earlier than a high-quality attacker was added to the squad that had received the Premier League just some weeks earlier, it was Jota who piqued essentially the most curiosity.
On a three-man shortlist alongside Jonathan David, then of Gent, and Ismaila Sarr of Watford, Liverpool made their transfer for Jota in mid-September of 2020, placing a deal that might finally rise to a charge of £45 million.
It was one which nearly went beneath the radar earlier than it was confirmed by the membership, which was one thing that owes a lot to Liverpool’s wholesome working relationship with Portuguese company Gestifute, who signify the ahead.
After monitoring Jota’s progress for the 2 earlier seasons, a glowing suggestion from shut contacts of assistant boss Pep Lijnders in Portuguese soccer, it was Jota who acquired the nod over David and Sarr, notably after Liverpool baulked on the asking value from the recently-relegated Watford over their Senegal worldwide.
“Jurgen has lengthy admired the Portuguese participant’s flexibility, dedication, eye for objective and work charge,” one supply informed this reporter when Jota arrived.
Over 18 months on from his arrival, nonetheless, that flexibility has seemingly been traded in for a extra valuable commodity at Anfield. Jota’s strike within the 2-2 draw at Manchester Metropolis on Sunday was the attacker’s twenty first of the marketing campaign, essentially the most he has ever registered in a top-flight marketing campaign.
Jota has vindicated Liverpool’s religion in him in some type
Solely Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min’s respective tallies of 20 and 17 are higher than Jota’s 15 Premier League strikes and what he lacks now in actual potential to have an effect on the sport outdoors the penalty space, the Portugal worldwide greater than makes up for with the chilly, exhausting foreign money of objectives. Extra so than that, although, is how decisive these contributions are for Klopp’s trigger.
Ten of his Liverpool objectives this season have been openers, whereas his effort towards Metropolis means he has now additionally registered 4 equalizers. He hardly ever decorates scorelines with efforts that imply little. The Portugal worldwide is way from a ‘stat padder’ racking up his numbers towards the lesser lights.
At occasions, Jota has been deployed off the left of Liverpool’s entrance three to accommodate Roberto Firmino down the center, whereas he has additionally sometimes been shunted out to the appropriate too each time the supervisor has flirted with a 4-2-3-1 system. One notably toiling afternoon in a second-half at Brentford springs to thoughts there.
Now, although, it should absolutely be acknowledged that Jota is at his most menacing and efficient when deployed straight down the center. He could not hyperlink the play with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as simply as Firmino makes it take a look at occasions, however the Brazil worldwide is nowhere close to the identical stage of objective risk that Jota is when main the road.
The Kop like to sing about their No.20, main them to victory and “operating down the left-wing” however now could be the time to just accept that Jota is now not the versatile frontman Klopp as soon as thought he was.
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He’s a pure, dyed-in-the-wool poacher supreme as an alternative.
