Jota Confident In Central Striker Role Under Liverpool's New Coach Slot

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Diogo Jota is optimistic about thriving as a central striker under Liverpool's new head coach, Arne Slot. His confidence stems from an impressive performance against Ipswich Town on the opening day of the 2024-25 Premier League season. Jota scored the first goal in the 60th minute, assisted by Mohamed Salah.

Salah celebrated his 350th appearance for Liverpool by contributing to his 300th goal involvement, tallying 212 goals and 88 assists. This achievement came just five minutes after Jota's goal, securing a win at Portman Road. Jota has now been involved in ten goals over his last ten Premier League matches for Liverpool, with seven goals and three assists.

Jota's expected goals (xG) contribution was 0.95 out of Liverpool's total of 2.65 against Ipswich, the highest among all players on the field. He also had 11 touches in the opposition box, matching Luis Diaz and Salah for the most in the Liverpool squad. Additionally, he won six out of his 13 contested duels.

Arne Slot believes Jota excels as a central striker, a sentiment echoed by Jota himself. "It's obviously a bit different from [Jurgen] Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," Jota told Liverpool's official website. "I think here he [Slot] wants our wingers a lot more in one-v-ones and I think we have better options than myself."

Jota added that staying in the middle allows him to capitalise on scoring opportunities: "If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do best so you can take that into the season."

Liverpool's First-Half Struggles

Liverpool faced difficulties in the first half against Ipswich, managing only three shots on Christian Walton’s goal, none of which were on target. However, their performance improved significantly after halftime. The Reds took 15 shots in the second half, with five on target and 12 coming from inside the penalty area.

Jota acknowledged this improvement: "Yeah, a positive performance. Obviously, the first half was a bit harder; they were really on it [and] pressing almost man-v-man." He noted that Ipswich fans were enthusiastic due to their long absence from the Premier League.

Building Momentum for Upcoming Matches

The second-half display provided Liverpool with a solid foundation for future games. "And then the second half they started giving us a little bit more space," Jota said. "We created a lot of chances and we ended up scoring two, so in the end I think it's a deserved three points."

Liverpool will face Brentford next in their first home game of the new season. The team aims to build on their improved second-half performance against Ipswich to secure another victory.