Arteta will be looking to restore gap
between his Arsenal side and SpursMikel Arteta refuses to be drawn
into Antonio Conte’s mind games —
but admits that he is happy to use
psychological tricks of his own to
motivate his Arsenal players in the
battle for fourth place.
The Tottenham Hotspur head
coach has tried to put pressure on his
side’s north London rivals by claiming
that Arsenal are favourites to finish in
a Champions League qualifying place,
saying that it would be a “miracle”
were his side to do so.
After Spurs’ win over Newcastle
United yesterday they are level on
points with Arsenal, having played
two games more.
Tottenham have more favourable
fixtures on paper and also have to
By the end, there were two names:
Diogo Jota and Ismaila Sarr.
Liverpool’s shortlist for attacking
reinforcements before last season
had been whittled down to these
two. Then it became a question of
valuations: Watford, newly relegated,
were intent on playing hardball for
the Senegal international Sarr,
quoting a transfer fee of more than
£40 million and demanding half of
that amount to be paid upfront.
Wolverhampton Wanderers would
prove more amenable. The fee for
Jota would also top £40 million, but
the interest of the Midlands club in
Ki-Jana Hoever, the young Anfield
right back rated at £9 million, brought
the outlay down. In addition,
Liverpool would have to pay nothing
for a year, a key factor in a financial
landscape ravaged by Covid-19.
Jota had been the preferred choice
and, with the money also making
sense, the deal was agreed.
As Sarr, who remained at Watford,
and Jota went head to head on the
pitch on Saturday, that the game’s
defining moments were shaped by the
Portugal international emphasised
how his arrival represented not only
another triumph for Liverpool’s
recruitment team but also for the
coaching structure that then allows
signings to excel. The chances are that
Sarr would also have thrived in Jürgen
Klopp’s set-up, when immersed in that
elite environment, but the rate of
development of Jota, 25, has been
nothing less than exceptional.
After Liverpool’s tenth successive
Premier League victory Klopp
confessed that even he had been
surprised by the strides made by a
player outwardly perceived to have
arrived as back-up but one who, 18
months later, the manager is happy
to describe as “world class”.
“Since he came in he has improved
a lot,” Klopp said. “He is actually the
player we thought he would be, and
also a little bit better.”
Jota’s header from Joe Gomez’s
enticing centre rounded off an
excellent counterattack after a smart
stop from Alisson in the Liverpool
goal to deny Juraj Kucka. Only
35 seconds elapsed between the save
and the breakthrough.
It was Jota’s 20th goal in all
competitions this season, the first
time he has reached that mark in his
career, but the detail of those strikes
is even more impressive. No player
has scored the opening goal in more
Premier League games — six —
this season, and this was the tenth
occasion in all competitions that he
has broken the deadlock this term.
With Mohamed Salah well
marshalled, after a difficult weekPAUL JOYCE
8 1GG Monday April 4 2022 | the times
thegame
with Egypt, by Hassane Kamara,
and Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz held
back after their own international
exertions, it was timely that Jota once
more stepped up.
At the other end Liverpool have
conceded only two goals in their past
ten league matches and were helped
by Watford’s lack of ruthlessness. João
Pedro went close but they were cast
adrift when Kucka wrestled Jota as a
corner came in and a penalty was
awarded after a VAR review. Fabinho
dispatched the spot kick.
Roy Hodgson, the Watford
manager, was unhappy with the
decision, but had less cause to
grumble about what was an organised,
obdurate performance from his side.
Next up are Leeds United and
then Brentford. Both games are at
Vicarage Road but now look more
difficult than a few weeks ago, given
both teams have found some form.
“Today’s performance gives me
heart and the encouragement that we
can ask these teams a few questions,”
Hodgson said. “It is very important
for the players to not forget that they
are capable of doing what they did
today. The way we played today, that
is our only chance of survival.”
Watford also host Burnley and
Everton and their race is far from run.
Liverpool, meanwhile, know that next
weekend, and their meeting with City,
will shape how their season plays out.‘World-class’ Jota is
triumph for Klopp
recruitment team
Arteta: Conte may be playing mind games with my players but so am I
host Arsenal in a rearranged game
that is expected to take place in the
penultimate week of the season.
Arsenal have to play Chelsea
and Manchester United in
the space of four days
this month.
“I don’t know,”
Arteta said, when
asked if he was
feeling pressure
from Conte. “That is
a question for him.
“But what we want
to do is very clear,
and the perception of
what people think is not
going to change it. I do it
[mind games] more with my
players, I think. I do it more with the
players, if I have to. To get what I
want from them.”When asked to elaborate on his
approach, he said: “No, because they
will know what they are doing and
that is the whole point.”
One example may be found
in the way Arteta has had
to keep Bernd Leno on
side, having dropped
the goalkeeper after
losing the opening
three league matches
and conceding nine
times. Leno was
brought back for his
first league game
since in the 1-0 win
away to Aston Villa
before the international
break, because AaronRamsdale had a hip injury. Ramsdale
trained yesterday but there is doubt
over whether he will be fit for the
game away to Crystal Palace tonight.
Arteta said that he understands
the frustration of Leno, who is
expected to leave when he enters
the final year of his contract in the
summer, as Arsenal have a deal in
place to sign Matt Turner, the New
England Revolution and United
States goalkeeper.
“I was very honest from the first
day because I never said [to Leno and
Ramsdale], ‘You’re going to be [Nos] 1
and 2,’ ” Arteta said. “I have a lot
of sympathy for every player that
doesn’t play but unfortunately that’s
the game. It’s never easy to accept.
“Another factor is the environment,
because it’s not only the player — it is
his family, his father, his nan, hisagent, saying, ‘Why aren’t you
playing, I don’t agree.’ They all want
the best for that player. We want the
best, so if we play somebody else it’s
because we believe it’s better for the
team. It cannot be taken personally.
“When I didn’t play when younger,
you never understand the reason,
you’ll never agree. When you’re on
the other side of the table the picture
changes completely.”
Possible teams
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): V Guaita — N Clyne,
J Andersen, M Guéhi, T Mitchell —
C Gallagher, C Kouyaté, E Eze – J Ayew
J-P Mateta, O Édouard.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): B Leno — C Soares, B White,
Gabriel, K Tierney — T Partey, G Xhaka —
B Saka, M Odegaard, G Martinelli —
A Lacazette. Referee P Tierney.GARY JACOB
Liverpool
Jota 22, Fabinho 89 (pen)^2RATINGS
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson 8 — J Gomez 7, J Matip
7, V van Dijk 7, A Robertson 7 — T Alcântara 8
(J Milner 90min), J Henderson 7, C Jones 7
(Fabinho 62, 7) — M Salah 6 (S Mané 69, 6),
R Firmino 7, D Jota 8.
Booked Gomez.
Watford (4-5-1): B Foster 5 — K Femenía 5,
C Kabasele 5, Samir 6, H Kamara 7 — I Sarr 6,
M Sissoko 6, I Louza 6 (T Cleverley 78),
J Kucka 6, C Hernández 6 (E Dennis 78) —
J Pedro 6 (J King 78).
Booked Hernández.
Referee S Attwell.Watford 0
CRYSTAL PALACE V ARSENAL
KICK-OFF 8PM, SKY SPORTSAlisson has conceded 11 fewer goals than he ought to have done this season according
to Opta’s xG against metric which measures the quality of opponents’ chancesSAVING THE DAYxG against Goals conceded Difference
J Sá (Wolves) 49 27 22
Alisson (Liverpool) 29 18 11
K Schmeichel (Leicester) 56 47 9
N Pope (Burnley) 43 34 9
A Ramsdale (Arsenal) 29 22 7
D De Gea (Man Utd) 48 41 7
R Sánchez (Brighton) 40 34 6
É Mendy (Chelsea) 27 21 6TITLE RUN-INSManchester City
P 30 GD 52 Pts 73
Sunday Liverpool (h)
Apr 20 Brighton (h)
Apr 23 Watford (h)
Apr 30 Leeds (a)
May 7 Newcastle (h)
May 15 West Ham (a)
May 22 Aston Villa (h)
TBC Wolves (a)Liverpool
P 30 GD 57 Pts 72
Sunday Man City (a)
Apr 19 Man Utd (h)
Apr 24 Everton (h)
Apr 30 Newcastle (a)
May 7 Tottenham (h)
May 15 Southampton (a)
May 22 Wolves (h)
TBC Aston Villa (a)Who will
blink first...
2-0 wins for
title rivals
before
showdown