Liverpool played with two false nines — Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai — against Real Betis a few days ago because of a lack of a proper senior striker. But Diogo Jota was back in action for the Reds against Arsenal.
Arne Slot's side won 2-1 against the Gunners thanks to first-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho and this game was much more instructive of how the new head coach is going to set up . Jota played 45 minutes through the center in a 4-3-3, with Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones seeming to take turns as the deepest-lying midfielder.
It had already been confirmed by Slot that he only played a kind of 4-4-2 system against Real Betis because Jota, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were still missing. The latter pair, in addition to Luis Diaz , will rejoin the group when they return to Merseyside next week.
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"It helps to have someone who naturally plays in that position," Slot told reporters post-match when asked about Jota's performance. "It helps to have a striker who is smart and intelligent and knows when to make the deeper runs."
And that was a telling message to the other players who will aim to get the spot off the Portuguese. It remains to be seen what the plan might be for Gakpo after he offered a reminder of what he can do when playing off the left flank at Euro 2024 but Nunez will definitely be another strong option as a number nine.
The Uruguayan certainly has lots of natural instincts that will make him well-suited to playing the role for Liverpool under Slot. But just like when he was playing for Jurgen Klopp , there are still lots of refinements to make in his game.
Nunez will need to learn the differences in what Slot wants and generally improve on his decision-making in terms of both the kind of runs that he makes — keeping himself onside more often — and the type of finish he uses when the chances fall his way.
Jota himself missed a couple of big opportunities versus Arsenal — a team he has often thrived when playing against — but he is more of a clinical poacher. Nunez offers plenty of different skills but it is likely to be a battle between the pair for minutes through the middle.
Liverpool.com says: Nunez has the potential to score bucketfuls of goals for Liverpool next season and it wouldn't take much for that to happen. If Jota is fit, though, at the start of the campaign, which you would hope can be possible given it is just around the corner, then he should be the man holding the shirt. As it stands, Jota is the more reliable of the pair with the only question mark surrounding his fitness and ability to avoid injuries.
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