Diogo Jota admits that the “world was talking about” Liverpool’s front three when he joined Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino at Anfield, but the challenge of earning regular game time in that attacking unit is being embraced by an in-form Portuguese.
Jurgen Klopp moved to further bolster his options in the final third during the summer transfer window of 2020, with a £45 million ($62m) deal done with Premier League rivals Wolves.
Jota found himself joining one of the most fearsome front lines in world football, but collective struggles on Merseyside this season and his own impressive form have seen the talented 24-year-old present a title-winning manager with a welcome selection headache.
What has been said?
Jota has told BT Sport on linking up with Salah and Co and the options Liverpool now have: “Obviously the world was talking about them (the front three) because of the achievements of the team in general, so they can shine because they are the attacking trio.
“But then it's up to the manager to decide who will play, the system we will use. For example, the last game we changed the system, we played all four. So things can happen, we can play different systems.
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“The manager decides what is best for the team and as individuals we need to do our best on the pitch.
“In the box, I don't like to do too many things. If the objective is to score goals in the football game, that's what I want to do.
“In terms of me scoring or providing or dragging defenders, if that's the target, that's what I want to do.”
Jota’s record in 2020-21
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The Portugal international made an immediate impact on Merseyside, with seven goals recorded through his opening 10 appearances for Liverpool.
A further five efforts have been added to his tally since then, with the target found in his last four outings for club and country, and an unfortunate injury that kept him out for 19 games between early December and the start of March appears to have been shaken off.
Jota has added ahead of a Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday that will see Klopp’s side head to Spain for the first leg of a heavyweight tie: “Personally, with an injury, it was a difficult season but now in the final third where the decisions are made, now it's an important part of the season and obviously I want to play my role and help the team to reach the goals.
“Some people might say they [Real Madrid] struggled a bit, especially in the beginning. But I think th'ey are playing really well and getting results.
“Now is the decisive moment of the season. They are the team with the most titles in this competition, so we need to be at our best to be able to get a result.”