Liverpool have made some impressive purchases in recent years, often these signings take a few months to settle in before they can unleash their full potential – Fabinho and Andy Robertson are prime examples of such a notion. However, such a concept has proven obsolete if your name is Diogo Jota. Jurgen Klopp has finally let his latest attacking addition of the leash.
Liverpool’s Portuguese striker Diogo Jota is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions league football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Liverpool, on November 3, 2020 at the Atalanta stadium in Bergamo. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
Surprise addition
Liverpool adding Jota to their forward ranks certainly caught us all by surprise.
The Premier League champions spent the majority of the summer linked with Thiago Alcantara and such a pursuit meant little attention was drawn elsewhere.
Once Liverpool finally struck a deal to land the Champions League-winning midfielder, reports began to emerge of an interest in a certain 23-year-old Wolves attacker. Within a matter of hours – the deal was all but done.
Michael Edwards struck a £41 million arranged fee to be paid in instalments with Ki-Jana Hoever going the opposite way.
What initially seemed like a substantial sum of money for a rather unproven prospect suddenly been made to feel like small change in just a few short weeks.
Outstanding Jota
The Portugal international recorded his first career hat-trick for Liverpool against Atalanta in the Champions League.
It took his total for the season to seven goals – he is now the club’s second-highest goalscorer with Mohamed Salah out in-front on nine.
What is particularly striking about Jota’s performances are the manner in which he is took his goals. Every opportunity that was presented to him in Bergamo was taken with aplomb and made to look much easier that it was – such was the devastating manner of his finishing.
It certainly was the most significant indication to date that the dynamic surrounding Klopp’s pedigreed front-three is now under serious threat of major alteration.
Roberto Firmino was the unfortunate casualty to make way for Jota and it was a telling decision form the boss considering this was arguably the biggest match Klopp has dropped the Brazilian for.
No player since the manager’s tenure began in October 2015 has featured under Klopp more than Firmino. It certainly was his one of his biggest calls as Liverpool boss to date.
And following such a statement of intent from Jota against Atalanta, the scales firmly remained tipped in the Portuguese ace’s favour.
Liverpool’s Portuguese striker Diogo Jota (R) scores a goal despite Atalanta’s Argentine defender Jose Luis Palomino during the UEFA Champions league football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Liverpool, on November 3, 2020 at the Atalanta stadium in Bergamo. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
Has to start against Manchester City
Remarkably, Liverpool’s 5-0 victory at Gewiss Stadium was the first time since April 2019 that every member of Klopp’s attacking front-three were all on the scoresheet.
For Klopp to alter such a devastating forward unit ahead of their biggest match of the season against Manchester City on Sunday, would be a huge call.
Jota, in particular, cannot be held back any longer, his direct running, adept dribbling ability and vision terrified the opposition from start-to-finish and it really was one of those performances where he was truly unplayable.
He has unquantifiable potential to fulfil, and in a squad littered with so many world-class players, Jota has more than staked his claim that he has earned his opportunity for a sustained run in the team.
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