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On a different level’… Jurgen Klopp says £45m Liverpool player is so smart
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Jurgen Klopp has praised the footballing intelligence of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.
Jota has been hitting the headlines this week after making his long-awaited return from injury on Tuesday. True to form, the 27-year-old banged in a last-minute goal having only been on the pitch a matter of minutes.
As a result, Klopp was asked to speak about Jota during his pre-Newcastle press conference this afternoon.
“Diogo is a very smart footballer,” gushed the Liverpool manager. “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.”
Klopp praises Jota intelligence
Footballing intelligence perhaps isn’t the first thing fans might think of as being one of Jota’s top qualities.
The Portugal international is not a classic cerebral playmaker in the mould of a Mesut Ozil or David Silva. He doesn’t have that silky aura where you can clearly see that he’s thinking many steps ahead.
Instead, Jota can sometimes have the look of an untidy player. He bundles his way through challenges at times and plenty of his finishes tend to be a bit scrappy.
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But herein lies the magic. You don’t get the tap ins and scrambles that Jota often does if you’re not smart. The £45m man knows just where to place himself for the position of maximum opportunity.
Jota has also confirmed that he’s already thinking about becoming a coach once he retires.
Diogo Jota
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As an avid fan of footballing computer games too, the Portuguese spends plenty of his free time around the game. That’s bound to rub off.
Capable of playing in a number of positions for Liverpool, Jota is now one of the key members of the squad.
Steve McManaman recently labelled him as the Reds’ second best forward behind Mohamed Salah, while Ian Rush called him the best finisher at the club. High praise from two Liverpool legends.
Klopp clearly appreciates Jota as well. His goals are what make him so valuable to this team, but he’s got plenty more strings to his bow besides. What a player.
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