Champions League: Diogo Jota, Liverpool's other lethal weapon

A humiliation.

This is how Diogo Jota's goal against Arsenal should be qualified last Saturday (4-0).

Two striking fakes combined with two London slips to further destroy Arsenal's hopes in the match.

And further proof of the crazy talent of a 24-year-old Portuguese striker, who demonstrated an alloy of liveliness and composure on the action, two examples of a complete technical palette.

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And his exit from an injury twenty minutes later, due to a shock to the knee, had the merit of worrying his trainer. "

," Jürgen Klopp said after the meeting.

. ” An exit which testifies to the dimension taken by the Portuguese in the head of the German technician, which made it pass in front of the number 9 Roberto Firmino in the hierarchy. And when it's not the Brazilian, it's Sadio Mané who pays the price for the skills of the Portuguese, who had been preferred - rightly (a goal and an

) - during the demonstration on the lawn of rival Manchester United (5-0).

Finally, there is only Mohamed Salah, stratospheric for several weeks, who is not threatened.

Head and legs

With his versatility, the former Wolverhampton striker can evolve in each of the three positions of the LFC attack, which is no exception to 4-3-3 under Klopp.

Among the Wolves, where he played for three seasons, the modest size of the native of Porto (1.78 m) was especially speaking about his speed on the left wing.

But since his arrival at the Reds (against 45 million euros in the summer of 2020), Jota regularly takes place in the axis, where he admires ... a lethal quality of play.

Read alsoChampions League: Is Mohamed Salah the best player in the world now?

"

," Klopp remarked on the eve of the first leg against Porto (5-1).

In short, the robot portrait of a complete attacker.

Thus, Klopp uses him in the axis, as a false center-forward, half the time (24 matches in the axis, 13 on the left, 6 on the right), where he shows an unsuspected head game: nearly a third of his goals (6/19) for LFC were headed, when he had not scored any with Wolves.

An injury cut him off in his tracks

On March 27, in Serbia (2-2), he even shone in the exercise with a double header with Portugal. A constantly evolving player in search of learning. “

,” Klopp said, again in October.

. " Because Jota likes to work for the team as much as to improve. "

" enthusiastic club legend Fernando Torres, who had been able to share a preseason with him at Atlético Madrid.

Read alsoChampions League: Sharp and determined, Griezmann has found his mojo at Atlético

A club where Jota will never have had his chance with the first team and against whom he took a resounding revenge by scoring a goal in early November (2-0).

At Atlético, the Portuguese spent his time on loan, starting with Porto (2016-2017), his hometown, which he therefore finds this Wednesday evening at Anfield.

Then loaned to Wolverhampton, he convinced Wolves to pay 14 million euros to secure his services before signing for Liverpool after three years of good and loyal service.

An overall linear rise barely started by a knee injury that took him away from the field for more than two months last season.

Sign of his new status at Liverpool, his return to training in February had sparked a wave of enthusiasm after a series of poor results which will ultimately be detrimental at the end of the season.

"

" remarked his coach on his return.

And the latter will certainly count on him to find the heights.