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Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
Jota played centrally in pre-season and against Ipswich and says “I think we have better options than myself” to play on the wings.
On Saturday against Ipswich Town in Liverpool’s Premier League season opener, Diogo Jota got the start at striker for new manager Arne Slot. For those who’d watched the Reds in pre-season it was hardly a surprise.
Jota’s finishing ability is well known, but his link-up and hold-up play in a central role in the warm-ups highlighted a side of his game not always on display in Jürgen Klopp’s system where he often played on the left.
“It’s obviously a bit different from Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide,” he noted of the new role. “I think [Slot] wants our wingers more in one on ones, and for that I think we have better options than myself.
“If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do the best so you can take that into the season, [but] I think we are still adapting to the way he wants us to play.”
Saturday’s opener against Ipswich showed the promise of Slot’s new system in a strong second half but in the Reds’ first half struggles made it clear that, promising or not it is still something of a work in progress.
“The first half was hard and then in the second half [Ipswich] started giving us a bit more space,” Jota added. “We created immediately a lot of chances and scored two so in the end I think it’s a deserved three points.”
