Diogo Jota has claimed that his upturn in form during the final nine games of the campaign was down to him changing his boots.
After sustaining calf and hamstring injuries the Portugal international had gone a full year without netting for Jurgen Klopp’s side until returning to goalscoring form with a brace against Leeds at Elland Road in April.
He then netted another five times across our final eight games of the campaign including a brace against Nottingham Forest and a stoppage time winner against Spurs at Anfield.
“I never scored with the previous boots and it’s a psychological thing if you’re a striker – ‘maybe it’s the boots I need to change’, the former Wolves man told FourFourTwo (via GOAL). “Then you score and everything feels fine. They’re just tools, but when you look at them, they give you different feelings.”
Despite putting his fine form down to his new boots the 26-year-old insists that he’s not really a superstitious person and doesn’t have any specific rituals he completes before games.
“I try not to, because it gives you a lot of work to have everything always the same,” Jota added. “Then, if one of those things doesn’t happen for whatever reason, you’re already 1-0 down. But if the boots feel nice and you’re scoring… I remember Karim Benzema wearing the same ones – it’s hard to argue when you’re scoring.”
Our No. 20 is a huge favourite at Anfield and we were delighted to see him finding the back of the net with such regularity towards the end of the season.
There’s no doubting his ability but keeping him fit is the real challenge as we prepare for next season.
If he can complete a full preseason and enter the new campaign in good shape there’s no reason why he can’t reach the levels witnessed during the 2021/22 campaign when he netted 21 goals and registered a further eight assists.