Lijnders stunned by uncoachable Jota trait; makes surprise Arsenal claim

Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders says forward Diogo Jota has the deadly instinct of a striker to be in the right place at the right time to score.

Jota marked his Reds Premier League debut on Monday with a goal after eight minutes to seal victory over Arsenal.

The 23-year-old placed himself on the edge of the area, receiving the ball before volleying past Bernd Leno.

Asked about whether the Portuguese already feels at home after his immediate Anfield impact, Lijnders was happy to praise the forward.

“For passionate players, there’s always a space at Liverpool. He has a great desire to learn our game, he will add something,” the assistant manager told Wednesday’s press conference.

“The one thing I found really difficult to coach is the intuition in the box, being in the right position to score like the pure instinct of a striker.

“That’s what we want from many players but especially from our front three. He in 10 or 15 minutes [against Arsenal] was three or four times in the position to score, so that’s good.”

Lijnders makes surprise Arsenal claim

Lijnders was speaking ahead of the second clash between Liverpool and Arsenal in a week. The Gunners are back at Anfield on Thursday to battle for a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Jurgen Klopp’s side came behind from 1-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-1 on Monday. After Alexandre Lacazette’s early goal, Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson scored before Jota secured all three points.

“It’s one of my favourite games since I’ve been here,” Lijnders said of the match. “Going 1-0 down playing how we played, no ego, constant team play and being dominant in each key moment.

“Ninety-five minutes of pressing, counter-pressing and our build-up was very good. So we’re really happy with that game.”

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