Arne Slot has explained his disappointment at not being able to call upon Diogo Jota more regularly, but hinted that he would now be Liverpool’s starting No. 9.
Having begun the campaign as Slot’s first choice, injuries have limited Jota to just five starts in the last four months, with a return of eight goals in his 24 appearances.
But now working his way back to full fitness, the Portuguese has started the last two games and could keep his place for the trip to Man City on Sunday.
That comes four days after the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa that saw Jota assist Mohamed Salah‘s opener and strike the bar but also squander a huge chance, hitting the target just once in his last 10 shots.
Asked whether Jota would be disappointed not to find the back of the net with any of those efforts, Slot outlined how happy he is to simply have his striker back.
“Oh probably he will [be disappointed not to convert his chances], although apart from him hitting the target he gave a great assist as well,” he told reporters in his pre-match press conference.
“So it tells you maybe more how disappointed I am that we missed him for four to five months than it tells you that something changed in our playing style.
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“When he was there with us before, I think he was involved in a lot of goals. Scoring as well.
“So that tells you how much of a loss it has been not to have him.
“But again, I would have loved to play him every single time maybe for 90 minutes.
“But if a player is out for four or five months, and he hasn’t been out-out, he has been coming in, coming back and every time we played him a bit too much he got injured again.
“So I hope people understand why we are still cautious now, because 12 games to go, and you tell me and I see the same, how much of a threat he is.
“We have to keep him available for 12 more games – and Champions League and the League Cup final.
“But that is not an easy balance to find. I would have loved to keep him in the team, because he played really well, for Trent the same. Who takes out two players that are playing so well?
“That’s only because it’s a big injury risk to keep them in the team.”
As Slot referenced, the decision to take off both Jota and goalscorer Trent Alexander-Arnold on the hour mark at Villa Park led to confusion among many.
But as he explained immediately after that game, that was a pre-planned changed designed to manage the fitness of two players with long-term issues this season.
“So when I drove up, I was listening to talkSPORT, and I don’t know who he is but his name was Mark Lawrenson or something like this, and he simply couldn’t understand why I took Trent out!” Slot continued.
“Which I understand from his perspective, because he played so well and he just scored a goal, but now maybe he does [understand].”
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