Xherdan Shaqiri needs to shine against Arsenal with Liverpool newcomer piling on the pressure

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Liverpool defeated Arsenal 3-1 on Monday night and in the process new signing Diogo Jota threw down the gauntlet for Xherdan Shaqiri.

The Portuguese forward signed for Liverpool earlier this month from Wolves and he scored on his first league outing for his new club.

Jurgen Klopp’s team play the Gunners again tomorrow with a place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup at stake instead of three points.

With that in mind, the Liverpool boss could look to make some changes to his side, as he did when his team beat Lincoln City in the previous round.

One player who shone during that 7-2 victory was Shaqiri, with his delightful free-kick getting Liverpool off to a flying start.

The 28-year-old hasn’t been in any of the matchday squads for Liverpool’s three Premier League games, however.

With Jota now on the scene all he can do is continue to shine when called upon and another opportunity could be on the horizon tomorrow.

It does seem unlikely that Klopp will entertain any offers for the player who earns £80,000-a-week at Anfield, with him still seemingly in the manager’s thoughts.

The time to deliver needs to be now though for the 82-time Switzerland international.

Consistency

Last season, Shaqiri had a torrid time with injury, managing just 11 appearances for the Reds, scoring once.

He arrived at Anfield in 2018, costing £13 million from Stoke City and he’s shown flashes without ever really holding down a place in the team.

Shaqiri can play on either flank and has a wand of a left-foot.

If he is fit and firing he can still be a useful asset to Klopp with four competitions still to play for.

Jota’s arrival won’t make his first-team aspirations any easier and he could do with a strong showing against Arsenal tonight.