Diogo Jota “Really Pleased” With Hot Start

Liverpool’s newest forward speaks about how quickly he’s settled
at his new club.

With the exception of a few high profile signings (Virgil van
Dijk and Mohamed Salah come to mind), Jürgen Klopp has
usually taken a cautious, slow approach to transitioning new
players into his lineup. This has been especially true when those
players were brought in for depth, rather than to compete for a
role in the first choice 11.

This fact makes it even more impressive how quickly Diogo Jota
has settled in and become a reliable attacking option for the
German manager. While a dependable rotational alternative for
Liverpool’s potent attacking triumvirate of Sadio
Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah has long
been needed, few could have predicted Jota would lay such a strong
claim to the role so quickly.

The young Portuguese forward was given a chance to talk about
his almost instant impact in an
today.

“I think it has been a great month for me, not only because I
signed but everything else that has happened,” said Jota. “I have
been able to help the team, which has been my biggest desire since
I joined. To be able to do that this fast, I am really pleased with
it.”

It’s impossible to deny that he has helped the team already.
Despite signing just 6 weeks ago, Jota has already made eight
appearances and scored three goals for Liverpool, each of them
quite important. He scored in his Premier League debut against
Arsenal to put the match to bed, netted the winner
against Sheffield United, and broke the deadlock against FC
Midtjylland in the Champion’s League this week.

It’s an impressive early return for a player who’s had to
quickly get up to speed to fit into Liverpool’s style of play, and
has to compete for playing time with one of the most talented
groups of attacking players in football. According to Jota,
believing in himself and listening to Klopp’s direction has been
the key to settling in at his new club.

“The most important thing is to always believe,” Jota said.
“Since the first day I was here, the manager spoke with me about
things I needed to do. I have tried to focus on that because
obviously when you change teams there are a lot of things you need
to adapt to.”

Klopp has been highly complimentary of Jota since his signing,
saying earlier this week that he is very easy to like because he’s
not only a talented player, but also a very nice guy. The young
forward was understandably thrilled to receive such a compliment
from his manager.

“Obviously when I heard those kind of words from a person like
him, it made me happy. When I first joined the club, I always tried
to do my best on the pitch but also off the pitch. I try to have a
good relationship with everyone. So, when I heard those words, I
think I am doing those things well. That’s what I will always try
to do.”

Jota’s hot start has been one of the most encouraging storylines
of this young season. All signs point to him being a very solid
option going forward when Klopp needs to give one of Mane, Firmino,
or Salah a break. With a compact, hectic schedule for the next
several months, Jota’s ability to effectively spell those three
could prove invaluable to maintaining the health and productivity
of Liverpool’s forward players.