Arne Slot reflects on tragic loss of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva ahead of pre-season

Hours before Liverpool’s first friendly, away at Preston, head coach Slot spoke via the Liverpool club website and media.

Interviewer: “Arne, it’s a difficult time for everybody connected with Liverpool FC as we deal with the loss of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre. Is it possible to explain the impact this loss has had on the team, and the way the players and staff have responded to this tragedy?”

Arne replied: “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 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.”

Interviewer: “You visited Anfield along with your wife earlier this week to pay your own respects. Are you able to put into words what that experience was like?”

Arne: “No. It’s almost impossible to put anything into words in this moment of time. Both of us felt it was the right thing to do to go there and pay our respects, not only me but definitely also my wife. To pay our respects to him, to his brother, to the family and to see – talking about pride again – the way our fans have shown how much they care about this club. After we won the league against Tottenham, how much they love the club, when we were having the parade, this is the club: if you play for this club it’s unbelievable when you win things, but in moments of tragedy I think it’s also unbelievable what these fans are doing.

“So, the fans cannot have better players to play for them but us as players and staff can’t have better fans to support us. But it’s not only the fans. In the parade, it was only the Liverpool fans I assume. Now this time it was the complete city, it wasn’t only Liverpool, it was also the Everton fans. And not only this city but also all around the country and in the world. To represent this club in this city now even means more to me and to my wife than it did before.”

Interviewer:  “It’s obviously very difficult to talk about football at the moment. There is a game on Sunday against Preston. Is it important for the team to get back on the pitch again now?”

Arne:  “Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. 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.

“The last thing is that he was the player in our team I would say that mainly with him it was all about the team. And not only the players; also, like I said, the staff. If we want to go through this period we need to do this together. You’ll know this because you told me – he selected a photo after we won the league against Tottenham and he wanted to have that photo in his house. He decided not to take one of himself, he decided to take one with us as the whole group, the whole staff in front of our fans. That probably tells us as a team and everyone around the world how much of a team player he was.”

Interviewer:  “We’ve taken the decision to retire his shirt number as a lasting tribute to Diogo. That was something really important to everyone here, wasn’t it?”

Arne: “Yeah, it was. We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. Maybe especially in difficult moments because of what I just said. But in any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts. To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done.”

Interviewer:  “What will be your overriding memory of Diogo Jota?”

Arne: “I’ve only worked with him for a season and in that season he has been so important for me, for the club, for the fans, for his teammates in difficult moments. So, I can come up with the Everton goal, I can come up with some other goals – Fulham when we were down to 10. Even the last game we played against Crystal Palace when we were down to 10 and 1-0 down, he came in and took the ball in our own half, led to us scoring the 1-1. That is the football player that is in my mind.

“But I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.”

Twitter users gave their thoughts as Arne Slot reflects on the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva ahead of pre-season…

@Nick___Collins: We will be there for each other next season. Can’t believe we have another manager who just gets it. He always seems to find the right words.

@A_M_Jones19: Just gets it doesn’t he, gets us, in what must be such a hard situation, he’s said all the right things here

@sceavian1908: Ever since he started with us, I knew he was special. In light of this terrible tragedy, and his reaction to that, this thought was confirmed. He has everything that is needed for a coach to succeed. It was written in the stars that he joined you when he did.

@gazj73: Well that’s set me off again, he couldn’t have said any of that any better. We will support him and the players and everyone associated with this club in whatever way they need us to #Jota #YNWA

@Andy_LFC93: The way this man speaks is just incredible. What a fella to lead our football club.

@FLiverpool1892: i never thought i’d love a manager like i did Jurgen, But Arne has handled this so well. We are lucky to have him.

@__wayno__: Arne Slot is immense. When he talks. I listen. Love him

@CallumTanton0: Slot is such a perfect man to have represent our club. Rest in peace Diogo