Diogo Jota has lauded the impact the Anfield crowd can have on the team’s performance, praising the “permanent” nature of the fans’ support.
Jota experienced all of the highs and lows of football during the 2022/23 campaign, recovering from injury and a 372-day goal hiatus to hit a brace during April’s 6-1 away win at Leeds.
The forward experienced calf and hamstring issues which hampered large parts of his season, before ending the season on a high with seven goals in the last nine games.
When reflecting on a turbulent campaign from both an individual and collective standpoint, Jota hailed the club’s home supporters and described Anfield as a “massive obstacle” for visiting sides to cope with.
“When everyone is together at Anfield it is a massive obstacle to overcome,” Jota explained in the May issue of the club’s official eMagazine WALK ON.
“The fans’ support of the team is permanent and if they have anything to say it will be after the game and not during it. During games they genuinely try to help the team and have an impact on the game.
“I have been to Anfield as an opponent so I know how hard it is to play there. That’s the feeling we have as well because we can see in a lot of games how hard it is for the opponents to try to stay in the game or overcome everything that can happen.”
Away from Anfield, the Reds didn’t hit the heights they were capable of last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
Despite the disappointment, the 26-year-old insists he is pleased with the progress he has made on a personal level and remains confident that Liverpool can get back to their best and “create new history” next season.
“As a player you obviously always want to achieve more and more,” he continued.
“I feel I’ve reached a level that allows me to look back and realise I’ve completed a great journey to get here and I should be proud of where I am.
“Now it is for us to create new history from next season. I am always motivated to do my best possible and as a Liverpool player it comes with a lot of responsibility.
“We are a club that needs to fight for titles and next season we have a perfect opportunity to do that.”
