Pep Lijnders: Diogo Jota has something that is so difficult to coach
Diogo Jota possesses an instinctive attacking skill that is ‘really difficult’ to coach, Pepijn Lijnders has explained.
The Portugal forward has made quite an impact since joining Liverpool last September, scoring 10 times for the Reds despite a knee injury that has restricted him to 21 appearances so far this season.
He netted decisively against former club Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, with his predatory finish earning a 1-0 win at Molineux.
And Lijnders believes Jota’s ‘pure quality’ has enabled him to settle quickly into life at Anfield.
“Jota is on the same technical level as our front three - I said this before and the whole world can see it. Quick and being quick in mind is a lethal combination for a striker, he has ‘direction’ in his game,” the assistant manager told Liverpoolfc.com.
“Diogo understands that it’s not about him, it’s about him, Sadio, Bobby, Mo, it’s about togetherness. It’s about Divock, Shaq, Ox, how they can all relate and help each other. Adapting to our pressing style isn’t easy but with him it goes very naturally.
“It says a lot how quick he adapted to the team and how quick the team adapted to him. It’s just pure quality as a team player and as a person.
“He has this positioning in the box where he is often on the right spot in the right time. This intuition in the box, this pure instinct, that is something that is so difficult to coach. I still find it really difficult to coach that attribute.”