Arne Slot has advised his Liverpool players to be themselves, just as Diogo Jota always was, as they return to action for the first time since their teammate’s tragic death.
The Reds play their first pre-season match of the summer on Sunday as they take on Preston at Deepdale, the first time they have taken to the field since the heart-breaking news from Spain.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva lost their lives in a car accident last Thursday (July 3), just days after the Liverpool star married his long-term partner with their three young children in attendance.
The tragedy has rocked the club and the wider football world, but Slot was keen to point out that thoughts at Liverpool are more focussed on Jota’s family.
‘First of all, it had a lot of impact on us but nothing compared to the loss that is felt by his parents, his wife Rute and his children and his other family,’ the manager told Liverpool club media.
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‘The first feeling we all have is of sadness. The second feeling that comes to my mind is pride. I think his parents and Rute can be so proud of the player and the person he was – mainly the person.
‘I’ve spoken to many of his teammates, I’ve spoken to many staff members, and they all rate him so high and all say how nice of a person he was. That he was always himself. So they should and will be very proud if they could hear what all his teammates and all the staff members would say about him.
‘Second of all, I think our fans can be so proud about the players we have at this club. They’ve seen them winning the league, that was a great achievement, but what they did in the last week with the togetherness they had, how they conducted themselves when we were in Portugal together, the fans couldn’t have asked for more from our players when it comes to how great human beings they are.
‘Those are the two emotions. Of course, the first emotion of sadness is much stronger than the one of being proud. But it’s the both of them.’
Liverpool players were in attendance at Jota’s funeral on July 5 and there have continued to be tributes paid at Anfield, with Slot and his wife pictured paying their respects earlier this week.
Clearly it is a tremendously difficult time for the Reds squad to focus on football and Slot has been sympathetic to how tough it may be.
The Dutchman has told his players to do whatever feels comfortable for them to be themselves and if that means not to train or play then that is ok.
Slot says that is the right thing to do in the situation as Jota was always true to himself, just as he wants his players to be.
‘Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened,’ said the Reds boss. ‘But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.
‘What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there’s a wrong decision?
‘And I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself.
‘So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.
‘Second of all, Jots was the player that if things were really, really, really difficult, I always looked at him and said, “Now we need something special from you.” And he delivered so many times in those moments. I can come up with all of these moments, even before I was here he had many of these moments as well.
‘So we are in a very difficult time, so let’s try to do what Diogo did so many times. If it’s so difficult then try a little bit harder or just keep on going and try to make it work.’