A piece by football writer Sam McGuire, for twenty3, has highlighted Diogo Jota’s impressive shot-placement during his start to life with Liverpool.
The Portuguese’s habit of firing away shots at the bottom-third of the goal has served him extremely well in recent weeks, with the forward having notched away six goals from eight efforts placed in such a way.
“Some teams don’t have the luxury of time and aren’t a literal finishing school,” McGuire wrote. “They need players who immediately maximise the chances that come their way. One player who falls into this category is Diogo Jota.”
“Just watch his goal against Leicester City,” the writer added. “The header looks fairly close to Kasper Schmeichel. If it was a little higher, the 60-cap Denmark international pushes it away. It was in the sweet spot of under the keeper’s arm but too high for them to save with their foot.”
Chance creation is a valued trait for footballers – however, as McGuire has highlighted, the ability to capitalise on a chance is what ultimately separates the wheat from the chaff.
It might seem an analytical note too far, but the state of the modern game means that an understanding of proper shot placement is a crucial skill for the modern forward.
Jota seems to have ‘it’ – and it’s been a big part of why Liverpool have remained around the summit of the Premier League table, despite the injuries that have come our way.
With each and every game, the £41m man continues to justify his price tag, and we hope to see the No.20 demonstrate this vital skill in the evening, as the Reds take on his former side in Wolves.