Arne Slot says Liverpool have missed Diogo Jota being at his best following the forward’s return to the scoresheet with his Merseyside derby winner.
Jota netted his ninth goal of an injury-disrupted season, and first since January, as he jinked past two men and fired home to secure Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Everton at Anfield.
And Reds boss Slot said of the Portugal international: “Most players, if they come in a situation where they think they can score, they get a bit mixed up in their head.
“But he can stay really calm in those moments, recognise where he has to shoot, where the defenders are, what the goalkeeper probably expects, which corner he’s going to go to, and then he chooses the opposite one.
“He’s calm in the moments he has to shoot – Mo (Salah) is an example of this as well – and that’s one of his biggest qualities, I think.
“What I’ve seen this season is that he started off really well, but we missed him, we missed the best possible Jota, maybe for five or six months. It took him quite a while to get to the level he was at before he got injured.
“That’s not only with him. I see this with almost all of our players that had an injury, that it takes a while to go back to Premier League level.
“They’re fit, they train, but the difference between good and excellent is only a small margin. And therefore, apparently, you need to have a run of games to come back to excellent again.”
Jones at right back
Wednesday’s contest, which left Slot’s league leaders 12 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with eight games remaining, also saw midfielder Curtis Jones playing at right-back for Liverpool.
The position had been occupied by Jarrell Quansah in the previous game, the 2-1 loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
While Liverpool have Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez still sidelined, Conor Bradley could return from injury in Sunday’s match at Fulham.
And Slot said: “Conor, we have to wait and see if he’s ready to be with the squad. Then, of course, Curtis is an option because he did well, but I think Jarell did well a few times in the position also. Let’s wait and see.”
Regarding Jones’ versatility, Slot said: “That’s very useful for me. Me and Richard (Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director) talk a lot about this season, about next season, and it’s nice to have versatile players, and Curtis is definitely one of them.
“He has a skill set that he can defend, he can attack, and that’s why he can play in so many positions – and he has this mentality, if you give him a challenge, he likes to be challenged, and (Wednesday) was a challenge for him because it wasn’t his normal position.
“Consistency is the thing what brings you from good to great, and that is now, if I play him again, what he has to show on Sunday.”
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