Micah Richards thinks one Liverpool player is ‘too good’ not to start

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Micah Richards has told Sky Sports that Diogo Jota is too good not to start for Liverpool.

The former Manchester City defender made the comments about Jota following his performance for Liverpool in their 2-1 win against West Ham United at the weekend.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger came on as a substitute in the second half at Anfield on Saturday evening and scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 85th minute.

Richards has raved about the 23-year-old Portugal international, and believes that the attacking player does have a place in Jurgen Klopp’s starting lineup.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has also praised Jota, and believes that the youngster is giving Klopp a selection headache.

Richards told Sky Sports about Jota: “You’ve got Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum in midfield, quite similar: work hard, can pass the ball. I’d be tempted to throw him in the midfield role, or drop Firmino back and play [Jota] out on the wing.

“He’s got that technical ability, he can find a pass. I watched him a load at Wolves, even in the Championship before he came to the Premier League, thinking, ‘can he step up?’. He showed he can do that at Wolves. And now he’s playing with even better players.

“I wouldn’t be too hasty in trying to get Firmino out of the team because he’s done an exceptional job for the way Liverpool want to play. I’m talking about putting Jota in that hole, there’s space in there for him. He’s too good to be on the bench. But it’s just finding that right spot for him.”

Murphy said on Match of the Day on BBC One (11:06pm, October 31, 2020): “Jota has given Jurgen Klopp a problem. That wonderful front three hasn’t been put under pressure for a long time. He’s scoring goals, he’s making an impact, he’s saying, ‘Don’t leave me out’.”

Making an impact

Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in the summer transfer window and has hit the ground running at Anfield.

The 23-year-old is scoring goals as a substitute and is making an impact, and one can understand why Richards thinks that he deserves to start.

However, for now, it would make sense for Klopp to use the winger as a substitute, as the former Wolves star gives him a good option on the bench for the second half if he needs to make changes.

Jota has scored three goals in five Premier League matches and has scored one goal in two Champions League games for Liverpool so far this season, according to WhoScored.