DREAM TEAM managers who took a punt on Diogo Jota (£4.5m) in Gameweek 1 were handsomely rewarded.
All the pre-season hints suggested that the Portugal international would start the campaign as Liverpool’s first-choice centre-forward and that proved to be the case against Ipswich on Saturday.
The Tractor Boys gave a good account of themselves upon their return to the top flight but there’s no denying the fixture computer dealt them a rough hand and the quality of Arne Slot’s side ultimately prevailed in the second half.
Jota opened the scoring with a typically precise finish on the hour-mark to cap off a classy move.
The 27-year-old was replaced by Cody Gakpo (£4.5m) with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining but his job was done with nine Dream Team points to show for his efforts.
In fact, greedy gaffers may have wanted more from him as he also missed a header from close range just prior to his goal for what would have been a thoroughly deserved assist for Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.5m).
Jota’s owners should be satisfied with a nine-point return, especially as it’s likely to cement his status as starting striker, for the time being at least.
Liverpool’s fixtures appear relatively favourable until mid-October and so the player tasked with occupying the space between the posts in the opposition’s box clearly has huge potential.
Jota is statistically one of the most efficient finishers in the Premier League and he averages a goal every 139 minutes in the top flight since his switch to Anfield.
The problem is that injuries have limited his game time across the last two years.
If he can stay fit and Slot is willing to give him a consistent run of starts, he could quickly make a mockery of his £4.5m starting price.
Of course, this would be bad news for Dream Team bosses keen on Darwin Nunez (£4.5m) and the aforementioned Gakpo.
With Mohamed Salah (£7m) a lock on the right flank, there’s stiff competition for the other two places in the front three, with Luis Diaz (£4.5m) also in the mix.
A sustained run of starts for Jota would inevitably mean reduced minutes for the other options capable of leading the line.
It’s telling that both Nunez and Gakpo are already among the most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 2.
Predicting starting line-ups for Gameweek 1 is difficult – this is particularly true for teams with new managers – and so many gaffers will be using their two transfers to correct any errors in judgement prior to Gameweek 2.
This is no time to be stubborn, holding onto a non-starter throughout August will only compound the problem.
