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Diogo Jota’s encouraging start to life as Liverpool was crowned by his winner in Saturday night’s Premier League clash against Sheffield United. It was a result that masked a performance below par for the Reds, but secured a major result and their first win in three in the Premier League.
The Portuguese’s arrival at Anfield this summer marked the end of the club’s search for a new striker. The established trio of attackers of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah had created a hierarchy that any striker who could be signed would knowingly do so as backup. Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino, avoiding injuries, suspension and fatigue, would always play a totally secondary role in this campaign.
The trick for Liverpool was to identify a player who would not only agree to be deployed in a rotation system, but would offer a different attacking option in his skill set and potentially change the form of the attack. It is in this context that the signing of Jota, who had already established himself as one of the division’s most dangerous attackers, but with the pace of work that is a prerequisite for Jurgen Klopp, ticked all the boxes.
As it stands out for Whoscored.com The forward has made four starts for the Reds to date, but they have notably spread across three different positions. Until Saturday’s win over the Blades, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp had not departed from his 4-3-3 roster and the line-up against Chris Wilder’s side was a surprise. Liverpool switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Salah leading the attack, Firmino playing in a more withdrawn attacking role with Mané starting on the left and Jota on the right wing. The main difference in this formation was that Firmino’s deep forward role changed to one more similar to that of a playmaker, with Jota and Mané playing a little deeper than in a 4-3-3 setup. Of course, this was in part a ripple effect from Virgil van Dijk’s injury: Fabinho fell behind with Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum anchoring midfield.
Previously, Jota’s starts had been a direct replacement for Mané, on the left side of an attacking role after the Senegalese forward tested positive for Covid-19, which was a role similar to the one he enjoyed at the Wolves. Raúl Jiménez was the threat of central attack in Molineux, but it was convenient for Jota’s game to work the channels and cut in with his right foot. He was seamlessly integrated into the Reds’ starting eleven and impressed again when he played the final half hour in the midweek Champions League win at Ajax.
However, Saturday gave us another glimpse of why Jota was signed: his adaptability and ability to fit into a new attacking lineup. As it stands out for Who scored , did three dribbles in the win over Sheffield United and completed 82 percent of his passes. He has an average of 2.3 shots per game, much less than Salah (4.8) and Mané (4) but more than Firmino (1.8). In fact, his role is more comparable to Firmino in the sense that his industry and pace of work to get opposition players out of position and create space for others is key to his role. Unlike Firmino, he is more physically prepared for a wide role and offers a more direct goal threat.
It should not be forgotten that Jota burst onto the scene at 18 with Pacos de Ferreira in the Portuguese top flight and scored 14 goals in 41 league games. Such was his first promise, Atlético de Madrid signed him for five years before immediately handing him over to FC Porto. He was a regular for the Portuguese giants that season and unsurprisingly he played for the Wolves the following year, with his 17 goals helping them reach the championship title.
Jota has offered a direct goal threat on four different teams and despite being only 23 years old, he already has a lot of experience.
Last month, Klopp said of Jota, according to the Mirror : “What can I say? His technical level is the same as that of our three forwards. He has a lot of future in the game and he will have a great path within our club. He is like a pressure monster, so he will fit directly away.
“We played against each other when he was very young. In Portugal, everyone says what a great signing Liverpool made, because they know exactly what he is like and what potential he still has. It will fit our style. Happy with him, and all the things we hear. they are true “.
It is now starting to become clearer exactly why Jota was signed and why Liverpool decided to invest so much to secure his signature. Five years younger than Mané, Salah and Firmino, he is capable of being a direct replacement for anyone and at the same time provides greater tactical adaptability to allow tactical adjustments and formation changes to trap opposing defenses. So far the first signs of Jota’s career at Liverpool are very promising and he has added another arrow to Klopp’s bow of attack.
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