Diogo Jota: Liverpool’s complementary team player is fighting for his starring role
At one point, it looked like Diogo Jota would become Roberto Firmino’s long-term successor. Not as a fake number nine, but as the man who led Liverpool’s attack under Jurgen Klopp. But now he is an afterthought for many. The 26-year-old moved to Merseyside in 2020 and made an immediate impact, playing as a center forward either side of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Injuries cut short his debut campaign with the Reds, but he still managed 13 goals and just 1,762 minutes in all competitions. He started in the first Premier League match of the 2021/22 campaign and scored the opener in the 3-0 win over Norwich City. Jota scored 10 goals in the English Premier League before the turn of the year, netting against Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton and Spurs as the Reds cruised to big wins with 20 men. The arrival of Luis Diaz has troubled the former Wolves winger. The Colombian international claimed the position on the left as his own, forcing Mane into midfield while Jota dropped to the bench. It also meant that when he got the chance, he was moved around the attack and played on the right and left more often than as a centre-forward. Despite this, he still managed to finish the season with 21 goals and eight assists in 3,572 minutes played. Only Sadio Mane (23) and Mohamed Salah (31) scored more goals for the Reds. Liverpool then added Darwin Nuñez to their ranks in the summer, walking away from an initial £64 million move to sign the Benfica explosive. The 2022/23 campaign has been a struggle for the versatile Jota. He missed the first five Premier League games of the season with a hamstring injury and managed just two starts before picking up a calf injury late in the win over Manchester City. He did not appear in the matchday squad until mid-February.
Near that point Cody Gakpo was signed, joining the Reds from PSV in January, playing Roberto Firmino’s role in attack. The whole dynamic changed in the absence of the 20s. Jota scored his first Premier League goal of the season in a 6-1 win over Leeds United in April, but finished the campaign with seven goals and eight assists (including in the Champions League) in just 1,394 minutes.
He probably started the campaign as the first-choice centre-forward and finished it at left-back, getting minutes due to Diaz’s injury. The same thing happened this time at the opening of the new season. Jota started the opening two games at center forward, with Cody Gakpo dropping to midfield due to a string of injuries. But as soon as Klopp’s midfielders became available again, Gakpo moved into the final third as the 33-cap Portugal international dropped to the bench. He then had to watch from the sidelines as Darwin replaced Gakpo in the starting lineup in Aston Villa’s victory.
The Uruguayan impressed on the bench against Newcastle and forced his way into the squad. Jota missed the winning pass in the Magpies win, but his pass was not handled by Sven Botman and the ball fell to Liverpool’s number nine, who scored a confidence kick. Jota looked sharp during the international break, scoring twice and getting on the scoresheet in Portugal’s 9-0 win over Luxembourg, but he is on the fence as a Liverpool player. He is a complete team player in that he can play anywhere in attack and even when he is not at his best, he is a real goal threat – both directly and as a creator. After all, he scored 58 goals in 6,728 minutes. This is possible with a goal or assist every 116 minutes. But is he comfortable with that role in the team given his impressive record whenever he is on the pitch? At 26, he is entering the prime of his career and needs to play regularly. Diaz appears to be Klopp’s preferred left back, Salah is the undisputed right midfielder and Jota will battle alongside Darwin and Gakpo in a central attacking three.
He is not as explosive as the former, while the latter is significantly better in build. This could be the former Atleti man’s last chance to contribute as a key member of the starting line-up. Another injury-plagued season could see him fall permanently as a team player. And that would be a bit of a no-brainer considering how relentless he is as a striker.