Diogo Jota says Liverpool lost two ‘important’ players this summer, as well as Sadio Mané. The Reds made some big changes.
Diogo Jota admits that Liverpool lost ‘important’ players this summer. The Reds moved more players on than they have for some time, with Sadio Mané at the top of the list.
He departed as a Liverpool legend and few, if any, stand a chance at replacing him. But Mané wasn’t the only player the team will miss, says Jota.
“We know how important that Divock [Origi] and Taki [Minamino] were when they played,” Jota told Sky Sports. “For this season, we want it to be the same.
“Especially when we want to go for everything again like we did last year. We know we will need everyone. Everyone will be important.”
Liverpool lost two ‘important’ squad players
One look at Liverpool’s bench against Manchester United and you see Jota’s point. Both the forward himself and Darwin Nunez were missing, leaving the Reds without a proper forward option in reserve.
That’s the big change Liverpool have made this summer. Instead of having three certain starters and then a handful of squad players as subs, they’ve got five forwards who expect to start.
The problem, then, is that when two of them are out, Liverpool are short. That’s exactly what’s happening right now.
Because in the league at least, Minamino and Origi barely played. They had one start between them last season and combined for just 306 minutes. However, they also combined for six goals in that time – a remarkable scoring rate.
And that’s before you consider their impacts in the cup competitions. Minamino, in particular, played a massive role last season.
Liverpool are weaker with them gone while injuries occur. The hope is that they’re stronger when everyone is fit as they’ve undoubtedly increased the quality. The Reds just need to keep everyone fit, then – that’s the only way we’re not regretting both Origi and Minamino leaving this summer.
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