Wolves blog: Diogo Jota is a tough cookie
Diogo Jota was certainly the recipient of some rough treatment at St Andrew’s on Monday night.
Despite an almost criminally late challenge from behind, Birmingham defender Marc Roberts only received a yellow card after two awful attempts in the space of ten minutes as Wolves won the derby.
Luckily for Wolves, Jota avoided injury at a ground where Wolves have been cruelly stung before.
In April 2013, Wolves secured a 3-2 win thanks to a Sylvan Ebanks-Blake brace.
But scans after the game revealed he had a broken leg after a collision with long-standing Albion and Blues villain Paul Robinson.
Wolves’ top scorer that season never played for the club again and only managed one meaningful season for Chesterfield since then – now, at the age of 31, he’s playing for Telford.
Wolves also only managed one win from the remaining six games and dropped into League One.
Fast forward four-and- a-half years, the outlook is much brighter.
Had Wolves have lost Jota to a significant injury, it would have been a bitter blow – but we do have the likes of Helder Costa ready to come in.
Diogo Jota gets roughed up in every game – but, for his diminutive size, he is remarkably tough.
He simply gets back up, dusts himself off and carries on tormenting defenders.
His attitude is outstanding, and the 21-year- old is better than anybody who played for the club during the Premier League seasons.
His dribbling and ability to pick a pass at exactly the right time are far beyond the level of the Championship, and his finishing is lethal – he certainly doesn’t miss many chances.
In the second half, after being hauled down by the neck by Michael Morrison, he got back up and squared up to the defender.
He was then pushed to the ground by the impending departee Harlee Dean, who duly received his marching orders.
But Jota, who has shown he is no shrinking violet, also got himself booked for his reaction.
At Molineux in August, Cardiff’s Lee Peltier strayed far from his full-back position, shadowing Diogo Jota wherever he went round the pitch in an attempt to stop him.
David Wheater went through the back of Jota in the 5-1 win over Bolton a few weeks ago, resulting in both benches erupting and managers Nuno and Phil Parkinson being sent to the stands.
He is that good a player – if special attention isn’t paid to him, he will punish opposition.
Nine goals and four assists are testament to that – in particular, he and Leo Bonatini have developed a wonderful partnership.
But he does need protection – it will be a travesty if a thuggish challenge puts him out for the season.
