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Paul Merson thinks ‘unbelievable’ 25-year-old has shot right up in Liverpool’s pecking order
Paul Merson believes Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has gone above Roberto Firmino in the Anfield front line pecking order.
Jurgen Klopp boasts one of the best attacking setups in world football, with five world-class forwards at his disposal.
Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been dominating opponents for a number of years.
Jota joined Liverpool in 2020 and has become a fan favourite at Anfield thanks to his dazzling, prolific displays.
And in January, Liverpool bought Luis Diaz, who has hit the ground running at his new club and looks lively.
Klopp also appears happy with Takumi Minamino, recently saying he is “getting better every game.”
The Liverpool boss has been alternating his front line over the past few weeks.
Mane, Jota and Salah started against Inter, with Firmino replacing the Portugal international due to a knock.
Burnley saw Mane, Firmino and Salah in the XI, while Diaz, Firmino and Jota began against Leicester.
Merson, writing on , praised Firmino for how he “knits” the front three together.
However, he feels Klopp now has Jota above the Brazilian in his pecking order.
“I think Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane are Jurgen Klopp’s preferred front three,” wrote Merson.
“Roberto Firmino knits them together, but Jota has been unbelievable since joining the club and is ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order, in my opinion.”
Klopp has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal up top – TBR View
Liverpool’s forwards aren’t just world-class, but there’s also a lot of versatility in there.
Jota is a lethal goalscorer and thrives as a centre-forward, but he can also play on the left wing.
Mane and Minamino can play across the front three, and Salah can play up front as well as on the right.
Firmino is a superb link-up player, dropping deep and making things easier from midfield.
Some games will warrant his style of play more than Jota’s, and vice versa.
And of course, both Firmino and Jota can play together – they’ve taken to the pitch together times.
So it may not necessarily be a case of who’s above who in the pecking order.
Klopp can pick and choose depending on the opponent and, if a player is unavailable, the team will retain superb strength in depth.