Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of both Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk following increased scrutiny of the pair’s performances for Liverpool in recent weeks.
The Portuguese hasn’t scored for the Reds since their 2-2 draw away at Man City on April 10 last year, having endured an injury-plagued campaign which resulted in him missing last winter’s World Cup in Qatar. Such a drought now stands at 31 matches, having started 16 of those outings.
Yet in Arsenal, the Reds actually face Jota’s favoured opponents on Sunday with the forward boasting a career-best eight goals against the Gunners from 12 appearances for former club Wolves and Liverpool. Seven of those strikes have come in just seven outings for Klopp’s men in all competitions, with the 26-year-old also providing a goal contribution in every Premier League meeting between the two sides in which he has featured.
