Liverpool news: You always need to be at your best, says Diogo Jota

Diogo Jota has been enjoying a dream spell with Liverpool this season. The forward has played an important role for the club in helping the team stay on the hunt for titles in various competitions. It has made many experts wonder whether the Portuguese frontman is in the best form of his career. The stats do support this suggestion, with Jota netting 14 goals in all competitions this season. It is already higher than his tally during a noteworthy debut campaign at Anfield in 2020-21. He is also the second-top scorer in the Premier League behind teammate Mohamed Salah. Notably, Jota’s double last week at Emirates Stadium had guided Liverpool into the Carabao Cup final.

However, Jota is finding it hard to answer that question, as the Portuguese international is solely focused on the next challenge that awaits him. “I always find that hard to answer. I was asked that question after I first joined Liverpool, I think before I got injured last season, but it’s always hard to say,” said the forward, quoted in a recent matchday programme.

“Sometimes in games you are just in the right place at the right time and you just need to tap it in and sometimes, like that recent game against Leicester, I was nowhere near that moment, so it’s hard to know.

“If I’m in the moment of my life, why couldn’t I get a proper chance against Leicester, for example? I think each game is different and a new challenge and you always need to be at your best to be able to perform at your highest level.”

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Versatility is Diogo Jota’s biggest advantage

Versatility is one of the strengths of Diogo Jota, who can operate anywhere in the front three positions. It is one of the things that appealed to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp when he signed him in 2020. 

“At the start I played 10 years as a left midfielder in a 4-3-3,” said Jota. “Then as my physicality developed, I started arriving in the box more often and scoring goals.

“Then I went basically to a No.10 position. People started thinking, ‘Oh, this guy can score goals, so put him up front.’ That was basically how it was.”

He added: “I always try to do what the manager asks me to do. At Wolves we sometimes played with three up front and I was on the left, because we had a proper main striker in Raul [Jimenez]. When we played with two, I was up front. So it depends on what the manager asks me to do.

“I try to adapt and I think that’s one of my main characteristics. I don’t force anyone to adapt to me – I try to adapt to whatever is required and do my best.

“Maybe some people will say I’m not a proper false nine or I’m not a nine, whereas some others may like it. But whenever I’m on the pitch I aim to get goals and get the team reaching the opponent’s goal. That’s what I try to do.”