When Diogo Jota took just eight minutes to cancel out Kevin De Bruyne’s opener for Man City at the Etihad back in April, it was the latest example of him stepping up in front of goal and delivering the goods for Liverpool.
Returning his 21st goal of the season, coming in his 42nd appearance, the Portuguese had already comfortably returned the most prolific campaign of his career even before netting against Pep Guardiola’s side. With the title-race left in the balance by the 2-2 draw, Jurgen Klopp ’s men faced a decisive seven weeks ahead as they looked to clinch an unprecedented quadruple.
They’d ultimately lift the FA Cup to add to their League Cup success from earlier in the season, but would miss out on the Premier League title to Man City on the final day. Fast forward a week and they’d suffer a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final too.
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If you’d said when leaving the Etihad that the 25-year-old would head into the Reds’ next Premier League meeting with Man City, coming six months later at Anfield, having not scored since, you’d have been told to give your head a wobble. Yet miraculously that is very much reality.
Of course, such a fact is not aided by Jota picking up a muscle injury on international duty in the summer before then suffering a further setback when attempting a comeback in pre-season. Meanwhile, he also endured an injury-inflicted end to last season.
As a result, his drought now stands at 20 matches, though only half of them have been starts. While it will be a concern for the forward, Klopp will at least be relieved to see the Portuguese contributing to goals even if he isn’t providing the finishing touch himself.
While Jota scored goals for fun last year, in truth goalscorer rarely turned provider. Boasting only one assist from his first season at Anfield, coming in a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig, his only other direct assist before last season’s trip to the Etihad was for Mohamed Salah in Liverpool ’s 5-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Officially his record stood at three at the time courtesy of Opta questionably awarding him an assist when Luis Diaz’s cutback against Cardiff City squirmed through his legs on its way to reaching goalscorer Takumi Minamino. Meanwhile, he’d also won three penalties for the Reds.
But it’s been a different story for the Portuguese since the goals dried up, culminating with his hat-trick of assists in Wednesday’s victory over Rangers in midweek. Now boasting 12 assists for Liverpool (15 if you include penalties won), nine of them have come during his 20-game goalscoring drought.
First setting up Roberto Firmino in the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Benfica, he’d set up Salah against Manchester United again in the 4-0 win at Anfield before creating Naby Keita’s winner away at Newcastle United in a productive April. He’d also set up Minamino’s equaliser against Southampton in Liverpool’s penultimate Premier League game of the season as he finished the campaign with 21 goals and six assists from 55 appearances.
Making seven appearances so far this season, Jota is already only one assist off matching last year’s total after setting up Salah against Ajax and Firmino against Arsenal, prior to creating all three of the Egyptian’s goals off the bench against Rangers. Meanwhile, that hat-trick of sorts leaves him top of the Reds’ assist charts for the season, ahead of the two aforementioned forwards and Kostas Tsimikas on four.
This new creative side to the Portugal international’s game is most welcome, especially given Trent Alexander-Arnold 's recent loss of form and current injury lay-off, and demonstrates how, with Salah in particular, he is growing increasingly in-sync with his fellow forwards at Anfield.
Meanwhille, with Klopp tweaking his side's defensive set-up in recent weeks in response to the Reds shipping goals at an alarming rate, such a change could result in his full-backs providing less assists and not being as much of an attacking threat in the future. As a result, Jota could be tasked with taking up the mantle.
Either way the forward’s next step is clear: to rediscover his goalscoring touch while remaining this leading creative source. With reigning champions Man City visiting Anfield tomorrow, now would be the perfect time for Jota to put such a prospect it into practice as he looks to score for Liverpool for the first time since they last faced Pep Guardiola’s men in Premier League action six months ago.
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