Guardiola says Klopp made him ‘better’ ahead of Man City v Liverpool
A spell on the sidelines for Liverpool forward Diogo Jota would hit Jurgen Klopp where it hurts. The Portuguese limped off against Manchester City on Saturday with what the Reds boss described as a ‘muscle issue’, which could leave options limited ahead of a congested run of fixtures.
Jota has been one of Liverpool’s most dependable attackers this campaign, notching four goals in the Premier League, one in the Carabao Cup and a club-high three in the Europa League.
The 26-year-old may not get a chance to add to that tally for several weeks, however, after being forced off in the 1-1 draw with City. “Unfortunately we’ve lost Diogo with a muscle [issue], I don’t know exactly,” said Klopp after the game.
The Liverpool manager will need all hands and deck between now and the New Year, with fixtures scheduled to come thick and fast, starting with LASK’s visit to Anfield on Thursday night.
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Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle are also up ahead as part of a quick-fire 10-game run set to unfold over the next six weeks. Rotation will therefore be essential for Klopp if he wishes to keep his best players fresh.
Jota missed five months of last season with hamstring and calf issues, limiting him to fewer than 30 appearances across all competitions.
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His absence would pile more pressure on the likes of Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz to come up with the goods. Meanwhile, competing domestically and in Europe could see youngsters Ben Doak and Kaide Gordon given opportunities to impress.
Jota first landed in English football with Wolves, spending a year in the Championship before racking up 16 goals across two top-flight seasons. The Portugal international has chipped in with 49 goals in 130 first-team games since signing for Liverpool in 2020.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second-half equaliser against City saw Liverpool come away from the Etihad Stadium with a precious point, which leaves them third in the Premier League table after Arsenal’s win over Brentford.
“We had good moments, I wish we could have had more, but for the moment we are in, I’m fine with that,” Klopp explained. “A point is absolutely okay. It’s been a long time since [City] drew a game [at the Etihad] so we should take that as a success.”
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