Liverpool star Diogo Jota has addressed the wholesale changes at the club, admitting they are still learning how to play more effectively as a unit.
The Reds heavily reshuffled their midfield during the summer transfer window. Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain left the club, while Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch joined the Merseyside outfit. Jurgen Klopp’s side have coped well with the changes so far, emerging as the fourth-best team in the Premier League behind Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Manchester City.
Jota Discusses New Challenge At Liverpool
Speaking with the club’s official outlet (via Liverpool ECHO), Jota admitted that players who had remained at Anfield were having to adapt. The Portugal international said:
“This year we made a lot of changes, especially in the midfield. That is a very important and key area in the way we play. We also got a lot of players for the forward line in the last couple of years and I think people and clubs need to develop.
“Normally, what changes a lot is the manager, but in Liverpool, it is not the case and we know Jurgen is the right man and has the capacity to take us forward. Now is the moment where we have started with a completely different team than eight years ago (when Klopp was appointed). That’s a challenge for him and for us. We had a good start and we want to carry on.”
He continued:
“It is a matter of changing the mentality as well. The players who left were important players off the pitch as well. Hendo was the captain and we need to adapt to a new era, a new captain and new players.”
Jota Explains How Midfield Reshuffling Has Tweaked Liverpool’s Playing Style
Under Klopp, Liverpool have primarily been seen as an aggressive side, one that takes a direct approach. The approach has changed slightly since the slew of summer changes, with them now preferring to keep the ball a little more than before.
Explaining the transition, Jota added:
“In the beginning when a lot of the squad was still here everyone knew how we played – the counter-press, the quick attacks. I think now we have developed a little more into trying to control a bit more the possession and do a lot of extra passes before we end up in the final third.
“That’s how we are kind of developing now and it is always easier when we get wins to build on, so I think it is important for us now to keep winning games as we are still adapting to new players and ideas.”
Between Mac Allister, Thiago, and Szoboszlai, the Anfield outfit have no shortage of players who can keep the ball. And considering how well their new strategy has been working out so far, it will not be surprising if Klopp’s frantic football takes a back seat this season.
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