Great minds think alike, and Arne Slot shares Jurgen Klopp’s feelings on one Liverpool player in particular as he revealed his thoughts following Saturday’s draw with Fulham
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has mirrored predecessor Jurgen Klopp by lauding Diogo Jota for his intelligence after the forward helped salvage a draw against Fulham. The Reds were in a challenging position at Anfield on Saturday and trailed early after Andreas Pereira found the net, followed swiftly by Andy Robertson’s 17th-minute red card.
It looked as though Liverpool might suffer a second home defeat of the season when Cody Gakpo‘s equaliser was negated by Rodrigo Muniz’s deft strike. However, Jota – who was making his first Premier League appearance since October following a rib injury – came on in the 79th minute to make a definitive impact.
Slot heaped praise on the Portuguese talent when speaking to BBC Match of the Day in his post-match interview (via The Mirror): “We had Jota back… I couldn’t have asked for more.
“Jota is so intelligent with his positioning and with what to do with the ball. It was a great team goal. It’s nice to have him back, he’s been away for two months.
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“So many things happened, but what stood out for me was how impressive our performance was with 10 men. We ran for 11. The players put in an outstanding performance with pressing. We had more problems at 11 v 11 than we did when we were down to 10.
“It happens in a season that you get a red card. It’s good we are a team that is very difficult to beat. We lost to Nottingham [Forest], Arsenal, Newcastle we dropped points. You can look at it that way, but you don’t want to drop points in a home game against Forest and Fulham.”
It was back in December 2023, just as the 28-year-old was nearing a comeback from another injury, that Klopp, who brought Jota to the club for £45million, also praised his intelligence on the pitch: “Diogo is a very smart footballer.
“He understands the game really well. He understands it on a different level, he sees situations slightly earlier to adapt quicker, he’s both footed and a great finisher. I love the Diogo story. I hope he is back [fit] now for the next 10 years.”
With a busy festive period ahead, Slot will be eager for Jota to maintain fitness as the Reds bid to keep their place atop the Premier League table. Liverpool are set to face Southampton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before taking on Tottenham, hosting Leicester on Boxing Day, then travelling to face West Ham three days later.
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