Liverpool has been hampered by injuries all season but some respite should be near. Jürgen Klopp should soon have a weapon back that Man City and Arsenal can’t match.
Liverpool returns to Premier League action this weekend with a potentially tricky home game with Brighton. Roberto De Zerbi’s men will come to Anfield with some key players including Kaoru Mitoma missing thanks to injury, but with Manchester City hosting Arsenal immediately afterward, Jürgen Klopp’s team needs to pick up the three points.
Only Curtis Jones is likely to be back in time from injury to play a part this weekend, but others will follow. The week after, Klopp said prior to the international break, could see Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota return, though there has been no concrete update yet on goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
It is clear that Jones coming back will be hugely useful in the center of the pitch and Alexander-Arnold’s ability and influence are obvious. But Jota coming back, slightly ahead of when most people feared when he went off against Brentford, could be a decisive title boost as Liverpool prepares for the final stretch.
Jota’s potency when it comes to game-breaking goals is well-known at this stage. The Portugal forward tends to score at decisive moments and there will come a point inside the run-in that Liverpool needs someone to step up from somewhere. There are 10 league matches to play and in at least one of them, a late winner might be required.
With Mohamed Salah now back available again, Liverpool should have all five senior forwards fit once Jota makes his comeback. And having that firepower could prove to be vital.
If any of the sides in the title race need to find a goal late in a game — and all three are almost certain to need that at some point before the end of the campaign — it is Liverpool that is best-placed to find a way. No one can match that level of forward line.
In addition to Salah and Jota, there is also Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo. Harvey Elliott, with other midfield options like Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch back fit again, should be able to go back to his super-sub role too.
Manchester City can call upon Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, of course, and Arsenal has had periods of this season where it has been free-flowing in an attacking sense. But neither Pep Guardiola nor Mikel Arteta has the depth in forward areas that Liverpool has, at least when no attackers are on the treatment table.
Liverpool can only take care of its own results and cannot be too mindful of what is happening elsewhere. But it is clear that if Jota is back for the final nine matches (he won’t be featuring against Brighton), that could make the difference.
He has a goal every 116 minutes on the field in the league this season for Liverpool and even just one more could tip the title balance in his side’s favor. It is only going to be fine margins that dictate who lifts the Premier League trophy in the middle of May — and the Liverpool number 20 has as good a chance as anyone else of proving the difference-maker.