We are sitting in the tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia, overlooking the famous steps once sprinted up by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. We can also see a statue of ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier, one of the city’s favourite sons who downed the greatest sportsman of all time, Muhammad Ali. It feels like a perfect setting, then, to be talking to Liverpool forward Diogo Jota about knockout blows, getting back up off the canvas and the mental fortitude required to perform in an elite sport that so often punches you in the face. The blows Jota has taken are merely a metaphor for a repetitive tendency to suffer injuries. Likewise, his recoveries have hardly been the Fight of the Century like Frazier’s at Madison Square Gardens – but no matter how many times Jota falls, he always comes back swinging. ‘When you know you are injured and you are going to be out for a while it's like a knockout,’ says the Portugal international, who joined up with his Reds team-mates in Pittsburgh after a disappointing European Championship. ‘You need to get up again.’ Injuries are a theme of any conversation with Jota. According to Transfermarkt data, he missed 21 matches last season. Many of those were games of importance, such as crucial top-of-the-table clashes as Liverpool’s Premier League title tilt ultimately crashed and burned. Diogo Jota has picked himself off the canvas many times to recover from injuries The Liverpool forward channelled his inner Rocky Balboa during training in Philadelphia Jota's injuries last season came at a costly time when Liverpool needed him Since signing from Wolves in 2020, the 27-year-old has missed significant chunks of three of four seasons. Last term, Liverpool dropped points in six of their last 11 league games as they threw in the towel – how many of those draws would have been wins with Jota in the team? Read More Liverpool could move for a defender if Joe Gomez leaves as England international attracts interest ‘It feels worse when the team isn't doing so well and you can't help,’ he says. ‘You feel double frustration when results aren't good as you feel that you could have been there to help and maybe things would have been different. That feeling isn't nice at all. ‘Last season especially, it was really frustrating because I had three injuries in three good moments. I worked hard to get into those good moments with my form. But each time my momentum was stopped due to injuries. ‘The last one especially was bad. I feared that I was going to miss the Euros. That would have been the second time in a row in terms of major tournaments after missing the World Cup. Mentally, it was tough. ‘But what gives me hope is that in the minutes when I've been on the pitch I've always performed. If I can stay fit then I know my numbers will be good. That gives me hope for this season. I want to stay fit and that's what I'm working on in the pre-season.’ Jota recovered to play for Portugal at the Euros, though he was often a substitute as Cristiano Ronaldo was picked ahead of him – a decision that was heavily scrutinised – but they crashed out in the quarter-final to France in a penalty shoot-out. The Portuguese has joined up with the Liverpool squad in the US on their tour Jota knows if he can stay fit for a full season he will deliver his usual output Jota was kept out of the Portugal squad at Euro 2024 by Cristiano Ronaldo Despite being kept out of the team by Ronaldo, Jota is keen to point out: ‘Cristiano has been an inspiration for me since I can remember. He is an icon. He was a reference for me. I was glad to learn everything I could for him. I will thank him for that.’ The forward enjoyed a family holiday to Sardinia, Italy with his partner Rute and two kids – another is on the way and due in November – before taking in the eSports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, another one of his passions in which he owns a company called Luna Galaxy. But the forward joined up with his team in Pittsburgh last week and could play in Wednesday’s match against Arsenal in Philadelphia. ‘I've only had a few sessions with (Arne Slot) but already I can tell that he's really precise in what he wants,’ he adds. ‘He goes into a lot of detail. ‘At the moment we don't have a No 9 (Darwin Nunez is still on holiday) as you could see in the last game. I assume that for the foreseeable future that's where I am going to play. But he knows and I know that I can play a part in the attack on the wing or in the centre.’ Despite Jota’s injury record, he has scored 56 goals and assisted a further 19 across 145 games for the club – roughly a contribution every other game. Many see him as the most complete forward at the club and Reds legend Jamie Carragher heaped huge praise on him. Jota was described by Jamie Carragher as a better finisher than anyone he played with Speaking on Sky Sports earlier this year, the former defender said: ‘I think of some of the strikers I've played alongside: Michael Owen, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Robbie Fowler. I think Jota is the best finisher. When he gets chances he is so clinical.’ This was mentioned to Jota and, when asked if we have seen his best level yet, he replies: ‘Hopefully not! Hopefully that means I can still do some good things. But I know what I am capable of. ‘If you look at last season and see the impact I had in the games I played, it is not easy to do it overall in the season. Football is not simple maths. (But) I know what I am capable of, I just want to give myself more chances to help the team in the best way. ‘I can’t tell (where it went wrong last season). I remember the really tough week where we had Fulham, Everton midweek and then West Ham. That was a crucial week and we lost points. The Premier League is very hard and competitive. ‘Every game we play we can lose points, especially in a week where we have three away games in six days! Being injured did not help as I could have been another option but we had to force the same options. It is not easy to find a reason why but we all failed as a team.’
