PL hits and misses: Diogo Jota boosts Liverpool’s attack as Oleksandr Zinchenko gives Arsenal ‘something different’ | Football News

Jota provided a welcome boost to Liverpool’s attack

Diogo Jota may not have found the net since finally returning from four months out, but it may not be true that Liverpool have seen a change since he was brought back into the team.

The Reds are unbeaten in the Premier League since Jota recovered from a serious calf injury that ruled him out of the World Cup and, while he was involved in the attack at the hands of Real Madrid, he played less than a third of the game. .

Jota provides much of what Liverpool have been missing in recent months. His time in Jurgen Klopp’s system means he is better suited to the demands placed on the manager’s attackers when the team doesn’t have the ball, while he is more direct than some of his attacking peers.

Jota also has more skill than the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, which was shown by the ball being arranged in the area for opener Virgil van Dijk, while he was unlucky to foul Max Kilman during Nunez’s disallowed goal. after setting the chance with a powerful run.

The Portugal international’s lack of goals suggests he is still not back to his best, but his return has come at the right time for Liverpool as they close in on a top-four finish.
Joe Shread

The toothless Wolves continue to show an alarming lack of threat

Wolves’ goalscoring threat was no longer evident in the defeat at Liverpool.

Julen Lopetegui’s side only had one shot on target which came in the third minute from a shot saved by Joao Moutinho.

The second half in particular made for bleak reading statistically. Wolves had no shots and only made two touches in the opposition box.

The void at Anfield means they have now failed to score in 12 Premier League games this season – the most with Bournemouth.

Wolves have also scored just 18 goals in the league this season – only Everton (17) have scored fewer across the four divisions of English football.

This is an alarming number for Lopetegui, who needs to fix this quickly.

Wolves remain just three points above the bottom three, and with most of their relegation rivals now having a game in hand, their goalscoring problems are getting worse.
Declan Olley

Zinchenko gives Arsenal the unpredictability factor

For 40 minutes at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s attempts to surround the two banks of blue shirts defending Jordan Pickford’s goal ended in frustration. Everton are compact and organised. The hosts could barely get a shot on goal.

They needed a spark and it came, as it often does, from Oleksandr Zinchenko. Bukayo Saka’s opener was certainly well taken, but the opportunity only arose because of Zinchenko’s vision and ability to execute other players’ passes.

He produced from the right side of the central midfield felt more appropriate. Zinchenko only left in the name. In this game, as in many others, he spent a lot of time in the central area, where Everton were finally unable to stop him.

“That’s why we bought him,” said a smiling Mikel Arteta, “because he gives variety to the team, his mentality and his quality as well, to do certain things that allow us to be more unpredictable, producing a lot of threats every time we have them. “

It helps, too, that he’s done it all before. He was a serial winner at Manchester City but, as Arteta explained, he also gained valuable experience in opening up stubborn defences. “He’s been playing that kind of game, against low blocks, 200 times and it’s helped a lot.”

His role in this victory can be seen in the numbers. In addition to assists, Zinchenko has the most touches of any player on the pitch (109), while no one makes more passes in the final third (31), his performance is a reminder of how he can help this Arsenal team to another level. this season.
Nick Wright

Another exciting night for Everton

Everton had beaten Arsenal 1-0 in Sean Dyche’s first game, so they can do it again a month later, can’t they?

For 40 minutes, it must have seemed like they were shouting. Sean Dyche’s men were well organized in the first half, with a dense group of players limiting Arsenal’s space for manoeuvre, while also being a threat on the counter-attack. If not for two lapses in concentration before the break, they might have built on a solid foundation after that.

Oleksandr Zinchenko played a good ball for Bukayo Saka to finish with aplomb from the corner and, quickly, it was two when Gabriel Martinelli headed home after Saka robbed the ball from Idrissa Gana Gueye after a costly – and strange – episode. Suddenly, the wind was taken from the sails of the Merseysiders.

It didn’t get much better in the second half, as goals from Martin Odegaard and another from Martinelli did the job for the Gunners, who, once again, moved five points clear of Manchester City with 13 games to play. spin.

Perhaps the writing is on the wall as Arsenal won the same fixture 5-1 on the final day of last season and Everton’s away form is unbeaten this season, with just one win in 12 Premier League matches so far in 2022. /23. But there is no getting away from the fact that even a spot in north London will certainly not be too expensive for Dyche and Co.

The reality is that they remain in the relegation zone, one point from safety and have played one more game than the two teams above them – West Ham and Leeds – and the two teams directly below them – Bournemouth and Southampton.

With 13 games to play, their fate remains in their own hands, but with a total of just seven points taken from the last 30 on offer after the World Cup, the fear of missing out is nowhere to be found.
And Long