Liverpool are strategically planning for another thrilling title race showdown with Manchester City, aiming to secure their own version of a game-changing talent, Kevin De Bruyne.
Having clinched the league title in 2020, Jurgen Klopp’s squad faced bitter disappointment twice, narrowly losing by a single point each time, especially on the final day of the season when City emerged victorious.
In their current pursuit of success, Liverpool have the opportunity to establish a five-point lead with a triumph against Bournemouth today. Striker Diogo Jota recognises the primary challenge lying in the formidable reigning champions managed by Pep Guardiola.
‘I hope we can be in the discussion until the end. We know how strong City are and how strong they can be in the second lap of the league,’ said the Portuguese international.
‘We just hope we can also be there and be part of the fight again, and hopefully we are above them in the end.
‘It’s hard because. Obviously we try to win each game and that’s our plan. That’s what we’ll be trying to do against Bournemouth on Sunday.
‘But we know City are a very strong opponent and De Bruyne is a world-class player and one of the ones who can make a difference, like he did two years ago when we were in that discussion about the title until the last game. He was decisive.
However, we possess players of that caliber as well, and there is a considerable journey ahead before we encounter those pivotal moments. Our primary focus now is on the upcoming months, striving to position ourselves at the end.
With Mo Salah away on African Cup of Nations duty, there’s added responsibility on Jota and Klopp’s other forwards. Jota’s comeback from a muscular injury is a positive development. He dismisses Alan Shearer’s accusation of going down too easily for a penalty in Liverpool’s recent Premier League match against Newcastle.
Despite being labeled ’embarrassing’ by the Toon legend, Jota provided a response: ‘Listen, of course I saw some comments from ex-players and people who are paid to talk about situations.
‘The only thing I can say is even the keeper (Martin Dubravka) said it was a touch and I didn’t feel the conditions to stay up. So that’s it.’
Jota also stressed he’d ideally put the ball in the net himself rather than hand a penalty to a team-mate.
‘Of course, that’s what I like to do – to score goals,’ he added.
It’ll be up to Jota and players like Darwin Nunez to fill the gap vacated by top scorer Salah.
‘Mo is a decisive player for us. He is always there and always assisting and scoring. We miss him, but we have the quality in our squad to share those goals that he would probably score by himself,’ said Jota.
‘Maybe he (Nunez) isn’t scoring as much as people probably want him to, but he has assists and that counts as well because we are a team and all we want is to win.
Liverpool were beaten 1-0 on their last Premier League trip to The Vitality Stadium in March but have only lost two league games since.
In other Liverpool news, Premier League Side Worry About Losing Their Top Goalscorer to Liverpool or PL Rivals in the Summer