If there was any debate over who Liverpool’s best choice was to guide the road below Arne Slot, Diogo Jota has answered it emphatically.
Who was Liverpool’s quietest participant away to Man United? It was Jota, proper?
Virtually each different Liverpool participant made extra of an impression, however that’s to not say he didn’t additionally play properly.
There was one second that summed up the refined brilliance of Jota, nonetheless, coming within the lead as much as Luis Diaz‘s opener.
The No. 20 raced in the direction of purpose as Ryan Gravenberch marauded ahead, gesturing for the ball to finish up on the again submit.
Each Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai had been loitering there, moderately than Jota, and the Colombian powered residence Mohamed Salah‘s cross.
On the face of it, it doesn’t appear to be a lot, however the tactical nous that Jota confirmed in that second summed up his footballing IQ.
Lesser attackers would merely be serious about getting right into a goalscoring place, however Liverpool’s centre-forward was conscious of the whole lot happening round him in a cauldron of stress.
This stage of intelligence is one thing Jurgen Klopp all the time admired about Jota, saying of him final December:
“He understands the sport rather well.
“He understands it on a unique stage, he sees conditions barely earlier to adapt faster, he’s both-footed and an important finisher.”
It goes with out saying that, as was the case with Klopp, Slot and Jota have hit the bottom working, and it’s simple to see why.
The right Slot striker
In these opening three video games of the season Jota has been electrical, bagging a purpose and an help apiece and proving to be the proper foil for Salah and Diaz.
His capability to time runs into the field, act as a working decoy for others and put himself about have performed a giant function in Liverpool’s one hundred pc begin.
Slot’s model requires a striker who possesses a few of Roberto Firmino‘s attributes, when it comes to a capability to hyperlink with others, a excessive stage of intelligence and basic onerous work, and Jota has all of these issues.
Whereas not but flying on the purpose entrance this time period – his 13 p.c shot accuracy is surprisingly low – he’s additionally arguably Liverpool’s finest finisher.
Final season, Jota solely missed three huge probabilities within the Premier League in comparison with Salah’s 17 – outperforming his xG by +4.7 to Salah’s underperforming -2.5 – whereas 46.3 p.c of his photographs hit the goal, forward of the Egyptian (43.9%), Darwin Nunez (43%), Cody Gakpo (36.4%) and Diaz (34%).
His business can also be admirable, with solely Szoboszlai working additional in a sport in 2024/25 to this point per the Mail‘s Lewis Steele, and the truth that Jota coated 11.4km at United highlights his affect amid a ‘quiet’ efficiency.
At Wolves, and with Klopp at occasions, Jota was utilized in a large function, however he has made it clear how blissful he takes up an unique central berth below Slot.
“I believe right here [Slot] desires our wingers much more in one-v-ones and I believe we’ve higher choices than myself!” Jota stated after the opening-day win at Ipswich.
“If I keep within the center and watch for these probabilities to return in and rating them, I believe that’s what I do the very best so you may take that into the season.”
Followers spent the summer season questioning who would begin centrally for Slot, however it has turn out to be clear in a short time who his main man is.
Jota > Nunez
Jota’s place within the group was all the time going to return on the expense of another person and Nunez has needed to accept a cameo function to date this season.
Gakpo has too, however Slot seems doubtless to make use of him on the left wing usually.
For all of Nunez’s many attributes, it’s simple to see why his new boss considers Jota a superior possibility.
The pair are chalk and cheese, with Nunez an explosive footballer who performs on intuition, having the potential to go from chic to ridiculous within the area of seconds.
Jota is extra of a supervisor’s dream, making persistently good choices, displaying ruthlessness in entrance of purpose and absorbing tactical info; the top coach could possibly be seen pulling him for conversations in-game all through the pre-season friendlies.
In reality, Slot’s reward of his star striker throughout pre-season not solely summed up his admiration for him, but in addition acted as a warning shot to the likes of Nunez.
“It helps to have a striker who is sensible and clever and is aware of when to make the deeper runs,” the top coach stated.
There have been murmurs round a summer season exit for Nunez and the present indicators do recommend that Slot doesn’t but think about him a key man who can ship need he desires.
It’s early days, however he has been match for each match and restricted to only 32 minutes of motion – solely Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo have made all three squads and featured much less.
Opinion appears cut up over whether or not Nunez has a long-term future at Liverpool, however even when he stays, he has an enormous quantity of labor to do to usurp Jota.
Can Jota keep away from harm?
If Jota had the supply of Salah, the sky can be the restrict for him when it comes to being one in every of Europe’s high strikers.
As it’s, health woes have dogged him within the 4 years since he joined Liverpool, limiting him to only 95 begins.
As compared, Salah has began 177 video games in that point.
Jota has solely reached 20 Premier League begins as soon as for Liverpool – a tally of 27 again in 2021/22 – and the Reds have been robbed of him far too typically.
A part of the explanation for that is the truth that he places his physique on the road, risking hazard and discovering him on the receiving finish of nasty tackles.
Sadly, there may be all the time a niggling feeling {that a} new harm isn’t far-off for Jota, and shedding him for a bit of motion can be extra damaging than ever this season.
However there may be additionally sense that this can be a new horizon for Liverpool when it comes to load administration, with Slot and his head of efficiency Ruben Peeters famend for not solely preserving health but in addition enhancing it.
At 27, Jota is a participant proper in his prime, and his unnerving accuracy in entrance of purpose and soccer mind make him an integral participant for Slot.
Something feels attainable for Liverpool this season if he stays match. Let’s simply hope that isn’t too huge an ‘if’.
