At the start of the 2020/2021 season, this is the name of a Liverpool player who has stolen the attention. He is not Mohamed Salah, not Sadio Mane, but Diogo Jota. Together with Thiago Alcantara and Kostas Tsimikas, Klopp brought Jota to Anfield. The former FC Porto player was redeemed from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a total cost of £ 45 million.
Initially, many frowned because this 23-year-old player was not on the radar. Compared to names like Timo Werner (Germany) or Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), his profile is less appealing. Without much gossip, the Portuguese player’s service was officially secured by Klopp, right after Thiago Alcantara arrived from Bayern Munich.
If you look at his position, Jota seems to be plotted as a coating and competitor to the Firmino-Mane-Salah trio. However, this Portugal national team player actually has more than that role in Juergen Klopp’s tactical design.
Tactically, Jota is able to present a variety of tactics in the team. It is no longer just fixated on a 4-3-3 pattern, but it can also display a 4-2-3-1 formation, as shown when the Reds overcame Sheffield United some time ago. Of course, this is good news for Klopp, because his mainstay 4-3-3 formation can be anticipated and exposed by the opponent.
Likewise with the Firmino-Mane-Salah’s trident, who recently started dragging goals. The most epic example of this situation occurred, when Aston Villa beat the Reds with a score of 7-2, marking their first defeat in the Premier League this season.
Another good news is that Jota is quite quick to adapt, and has started to appear regularly, either as a substitute or as a starter. Luck was also on his side, because in the middle of a busy competition schedule, he was free from injury problems. Unlike Thiago or Tsimikas, who are still not fit due to injury.
After making a good first impression, when he scored a goal against Arsenal on his debut match, the player number 20 started to steal the attention. He successfully scored goals in the last three matches of The Kop, namely when he beat Sheffield United and West Ham with a score of 2-1 in the Premier League, which was interspersed with a 2-0 victory over FC Mijtyland in the Champions League.
This proves that the former Atletico Madrid player is compatible with Juergen Klopp’s tactical scheme. His role looks even more complex, because in addition to being a coating and competitor of the Firmino-Mane-Salah trio, he is also given an additional role as the team’s “lucky charm”.
Previously, this unique role had been held by Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi. In a few moments, both of them were able to perform well, and changed the team’s fortunes. However, Jota’s role now looks more complicated. He appears regularly, both as a starter or a substitute.
The arrival and impressive performance recently shown by Jota, is clearly an interesting story, because Klopp is really careful in buying new players. Even though the amount was small, there was no redundant transfer, because it was according to the team’s needs.
This is what makes the Liverpool squad’s quality level so good. Although the situation is currently unfavorable due to the defender’s injury crisis, Diogo Jota’s bright light and Klopp’s tactical ingenuity have proven capable of providing a glimmer of hope. If this difficult situation is able to be passed well, it seems that this season is not a nightmare for Jordan Henderson et al, because they are still able to develop in difficult situations.
