Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of both Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk following increased scrutiny of the pair’s performances for Liverpool in recent weeks.
The Portuguese hasn’t scored for the Reds since their 2-2 draw away at Man City on April 10 last year, having endured an injury-plagued campaign which resulted in him missing last winter’s World Cup in Qatar. Such a drought now stands at 31 matches, having started 16 of those outings.
Yet in Arsenal, the Reds actually face Jota’s favoured opponents on Sunday with the forward boasting a career-best eight goals against the Gunners from 12 appearances for former club Wolves and Liverpool. Seven of those strikes have come in just seven outings for Klopp’s men in all competitions, with the 26-year-old also providing a goal contribution in every Premier League meeting between the two sides in which he has featured.
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And despite Jota’s lack of goals, Klopp has insisted he is pleased with the forward’s performances following his return from a calf injury in February, and backed him to have an impact for the Reds in the final weeks of the season as they look to resurrect their top four hopes.
“I thought Diogo has done really well since he’s back because it was a really long injury for that,” the German said. “A super mature boy, super. Dealing well with difficulties and setbacks. It was really impressive, for the age he is.
“The level of the performance he produced, I really liked. He was good against Chelsea. He closed the right side really well and offensively was a threat again.
“He doesn’t have the foundation physically to go and go and go and go, yet, because of the long injury. But Diogo is a really good player and we missed him a lot during the season.
“We missed Lucho (Luis Diaz) as well, a lot, for big parts of the season. From next week on, Lucho will be back hopefully as well, completely normal.
“Diogo is back which is absolutely helpful. It might be for him that this year is not one he will remember as the best of his life because he was injured for the majority of it. But for us with these last few games we have, he is super important.”
Meanwhile, Van Dijk faced fierce criticism in his homeland during the recent March international break with some even calling for him to be stripped of the Netherlands captaincy. Admittedly, Liverpool’s poor defensive displays this year have not aided his cause.
And while Klopp conceded his side need to improve defensively, he insisted the defender has always been a strong leader for the Reds.
“Virg is a leader, he’s not under pressure to be a leader,” he said. “He’s a leader and was always a leader. Maybe the focus is now a little bit more on him.
“I don’t think he is more vocal than before to be honest. I think he was always vocal. In a super game, I don’t think you realise how much people are talking because it’s constantly going, but in his line we have to play better as well.
“But he knows that. He knows that as well and everything we can do to do that is very welcome. Yes, organising a line is a massive thing but it’s not that he started now, becoming a leader or whatever. It was always the case, from the first day.”
After missing the midweek draw with Chelsea through illness, Van Dijk is poised to return against Arsenal on Easter Sunday. However, Klopp’s comments about Jota perhaps suggest the Portuguese might drop to the bench after starting against both Man City and the Londoners since the start of the month.
As a result, having made six changes against Chelsea, further rotation is expected against the Gunners. Yet, having taken issue with a specific focus on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s form this season, Klopp elaborated on his thinking when it comes to team selection.
“Yes, (some players are guaranteed to play), but I don't want to open that box now,” he admitted hesitantly. “Look, you (the media) don’t make my life easier. It’s not your job to make my life easier but it makes it really difficult to talk week after week after week after week to explain these kind of things. But it will never happen.
“You might be surprised, you ask me about Trent Alexander-Arnold and I said he didn’t perform well and now make something of it. ‘Trent didn’t play well’, but you could have asked me about anybody. Trent has had super games and is a super player, but doesn’t have the consistency this year.
“So we will now not go and tell you who will play every week because there might be injuries and stuff. I respect a lot that you have to ask questions, I have no problem with that.”
“I didn’t think about it. Probably, maybe,” he then said when asked if in his mind some players are guaranteed a starting role. “It is and always was based on performing. Always was based on performing.
“In games, if you perform well or extremely well, then you have a very good chance of staying in the team. That’s how it is but always was. You have to force yourself to make a decision.
“‘He needs a rest now for whatever reason. Played last week, played two weeks ago, played four days ago.’ All these kinds of things to make a change.
“But because we are in no cup competitions anymore, I think we have one more week with three games, when we have a week like after the Arsenal game, when we play Sunday and then Monday. That’s eight days, a lot of training possible and of course we have to.
“But if we perform on Sunday, at our best, best level, then that has a massive influence as well. Completely normal stuff.”
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