Slot needs to axe Jota v PSG after what happened in Liverpool win over Newcastle
Diogo Jota should be nowhere near the starting lineup when Liverpool travel to the Parc Des Princes to play PSG on Wednesday.
Arne Slot’s side are going incredibly well in the Premier League.
The Reds appear to already have one hand on the trophy after their 2-0 win over Newcastle at Anfield on Wednesday (26 February), with second-place Arsenal falling further behind as they drew 0-0 at The City Ground against Nottingham Forest on the same night.
However, Liverpool’s attention must now turn to the UEFA Champions League, with a trip to Paris to come on 5 March.
And after Jota’s performance against the Magpies, the 28-year-old needs to be benched against PSG, and his replacement should be fairly obvious.
Slot must replace Jota with Cody Gakpo when Liverpool play PSG
Jota failed to take his opportunity as he was handed a rare Premier League start against Newcastle.
The Portuguese forward’s season has been disrupted by injury. As a result, he has started just once in the Champions League, and 10 times in the Premier League. However, based on the way he played against Eddie Howe’s side on Wednesday, he doesn’t necessarily deserve many more starts.
As per Sofascore, across the 62 minutes he played, Jota managed just 23 touches of the ball and failed to take a shot at goal. In addition, while he did complete 85 per cent of his passes, only one of these was key, and he also succeeded with zero per cent of his dribble attempts.
| Liverpool 2024/25 | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Diogo Jota | 25 | 8 | 3 |
He wasn’t any better defensively, winning just one of his six ground duels while being dribbled past twice. Therefore, he needs to be dropped, and his replacement should be the man who came on for him against Newcastle, Cody Gakpo.
The Dutchman was an instant upgrade when he replaced Jota on Wednesday, completing 92 per cent of his passes, succeeding with 100 per cent of his dribbles and managing two shots at goal, while winning two of his three ground duels.
Liverpool should feel confident of beating PSG
While PSG might appear to be a tough tie on paper, the French giants aren’t the team that they once were.
Therefore, over two legs, Liverpool should be very confident of victory, especially after finishing top of the Champions League table in the league phase.
However, if Slot doesn’t drop Jota, the match could be made needlessly more difficult for the Reds.