Liverpool manager says playing again has been difficult because “nothing seems to be important”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged his squad to honour Diogo Jota’s memory by staying true to themselves, as the club began pre-season with a 3-1 win over Preston North End just ten days after the Portuguese forward’s death.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash in Spain on 3 July, sending shockwaves through the football world. Sunday’s pre-season friendly at Deepdale was Liverpool’s first match since the tragedy, and the occasion carried heavy emotional weight.
Slot admitted that resuming training and playing again has been a deeply uncomfortable experience.
“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened,” said Slot. “But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.
“It’s very difficult to find the right words to say to the players because we constantly debate what is appropriate. Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry when someone misplaces a pass?
“So I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant was that Jota was always himself. It didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates or 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.”
The club have formally retired Jota’s number 20 shirt, the first time Liverpool have taken such a step. The emotion around the match at Deepdale was also clear. Fans held aloft scarves and banners bearing Jota’s name, while a minute’s silence was observed before kick-off. In the 20th minute, the stadium sang Jota’s song “He’s a lad from Portugal”.
Liverpool players also paid tributes on the pitch. After Darwin Nunez scored to make it 2-0, he perform Jota’s celebration of holding a video game controller. Cody Gakpo signed the number 20 to the crowd when he scored the third.
At the end of the match, the entire squad went to the away section and applauded the Liverpool travelling support as the crowd chanted Jota’s name.
