How Diogo Jota has made himself integral to Liverpool's rebuild under Arne Slot, writes MATT BARLOW The Portuguese forward is proving to be crucial to Arne Slot's Reds revolution Join Mail+ for more exclusive scoops, in-depth reporting and analysis from inside the Liverpool camp By Matt Barlow Published: 21:00 EDT, 6 October 2024 | Updated: 21:00 EDT, 6 October 2024 e-mail View comments There was a time when Diogo Jota seemed the natural heir to Roberto Firmino . Up front in the early weeks of 2021-22, Jota was in splendid form, into double figures before Christmas with the habit of scoring vital goals and influencing games for Jurgen Klopp ’s team. It was his second season as a Liverpool player.
His first was good and his second was better. He finished up with 21 goals in all competitions although the end of the campaign did not shine as brightly as the start. Luis Diaz arrived in January and made an instant impact.
Then Jota suffered an injury in February and Klopp tinkered about with his front line when fatigue set in as they went in pursuit of four trophies. Only Jordan Henderson made more than his 55 appearances as they won two competitions and went close in the other two, but Jota’s goals dried up and he started none of the three cup finals. Diogo Jota scored the only goal in Liverpool's table-topping victory over Crystal Palace The forward scored at Selhurst Park to secure a sixth Premier League win of the season Jota has faced indifferent form and injuries at Live.