Liverpool Coach Explains Why Diogo Jota Is 'Naturally' Different From Other Strikers

Liverpool star striker Diogo Jota has had Pepijn Lijnders raving about how he sports his best foot on the pitch.

After leaving a lasting impression at Molineux, Jota became one of the most sought-after English Premier League strikers as part of Liverpool.

With 10 goals to his name, the Portuguese has made his mark on Jurgen Klopp’s side. Lijnders has been trying to figure out how he could still improve Jota’s playing style. But thus far, the assistant manager sees no holes in the striker’s overall game.

“[Jota] He has this positioning in the box where he is often on the right spot in the right time,” Lijnders recently told Liverpool FC’s official website. “This intuition in the box, this pure instinct, that is something that is so difficult to coach. I still find it really difficult to coach that attribute.”

Prior to Jota’s arrival at Anfield, Klopp had arguably the best attacking trio in the league in Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

But according to Lijnders , Jota proved that he is a cut above the rest as he “naturally” managed to fit in, something that the coach had rarely seen in the past.

“Jota is on the same technical level as our front three--I said this before and the whole world can see it [now],” the Dutchman pointed out. “Quick and being quick in mind is a lethal combination for a striker, he has direction in his game."

“Diogo understands that it’s not about him, it’s about him, Sadio, Bobby, Mo, it’s about togetherness,” he added. “It’s about Divock, Shaq, Ox, how they can all relate and help each other. Adapting to our pressing style isn’t easy but with him it goes very naturally. It says a lot how quick he adapted to the team and how quick the team adapted to him. It’s just pure quality as a team player and as a person.”

Jota incurred a devastating knee injury in December that saw him being sidelined for three months. Contrary to what some predicted, the 24-year-old quickly regained his rhythm and scored a sensational goal against his former team last week.

After Arsenal, Liverpool is set to take on Real Madrid in this year’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final matchup, and all eyes are evidently on Jota. But for the lethal goalscorer, the key is to always play as a team.

“We must stick [to] thinking about us,” Jota emphasized. “There are a lot of games still to play, I think nine, so if we win all those games I’m pretty sure we can at least gain a spot in the Champions League, so let’s keep doing our job.”