Luis Diaz ‘experiment over’, Diogo Jota ‘must start’ v Brentford
Liverpool manager Arne Slot must end his Luis Diaz experiment and start Diogo Jota against Brentford on Saturday.
The Colombian was preferred to the Portugal international for the trip to Nottingham Forest, but it was the latter who rescued a point in a 1-1 draw on 14 January.
Diaz failed to muster up a shot on target in his 75 minutes on the pitch and Jota scored with his first touch of the contest just 22 seconds after coming on – the fastest goal scored by a Reds substitute in the Premier League era.
If Arne Slot wants to maintain his side’s lead at the summit of the top flight, the former Wolves attacker should be the man leading the line at the GTECH Community Stadium on 18 January.
Liverpool need Diogo Jota in the run-in
Diaz has impressed at times since converting into a central role but he struggled to make an impact against a physical and organised Forest side that sat in a low block.
The Colombia international had six touches in the opposition box and created two chances but had just one shot, that was off target [Fotmob] and his night was summed up by a moment when Cody Gakpo was through on goal but he waited too long to play the ball to the Dutchman.
Jota has not started a league match since the 2-1 victory over Chelsea in October due to a chest injury and has been managed carefully in recent weeks.
He managed to score a late equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Fulham (14 December) after coming off the bench and the opener in the 4-0 FA Cup victory against League Two outfit Accrington Stanley on 11 January.
The Forest clash felt like a huge step forward in his recovery, he was full of energy, constantly harassing the hosts’ defence and forcing Matt Sels into some huge saves as the Reds sought a winner.
On another night, he would have been the match winner but the Belgian goalkeeper was in inspired form to prevent him from adding to his equaliser.
Jota had the most shots on target than any of his teammates with three and had seven touches in the opposition box in a 24-minute cameo. [Fotmob]
Despite featuring for such a short period, he also completed the most dribbles in the match with two for a 67 per cent success rate.
He was also accurate with eight of his ten passes, for an 80 per cent success rate and played one pass into the final third.
If the Portugal star can stay fit, he will be a huge asset for Slot in the run-in as they seek to win the Premier League title.
Jota brings intensity, tenacity and a goalscoring touch that the other options in the positions do not possess, he should be the starter going forward as he is the best number nine at the club by a considerable margin.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds have been urged to sign Kyle Walker after a recent bombshell at Manchester City.
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