ARNE SLOT admits nothing seems to be important at Liverpool following the death of striker Diogo Jota.
The champions return to action at Preston this afternoon, still mourning the loss of their Portuguese international forward ten days ago.
Slot and Liverpool have been paying their respects to Jota, who tragically passed away[/caption]
Liverpool have decided to retire the number 20 at the club[/caption]
Jota, 28, and his brother Andre were killed in a car accident in Spain as they began their journey back to England for pre-season training.
Slot has spoken for the first time since the devastating news and says the club has to find a way to move on and start focussing on football again.
For now, he has told his players to be themselves as they come to terms with the sudden loss of their popular team-mate.
The Anfield boss said: “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.”
Liverpool announced last week that they will retire Jota’s No20 shirt in all their teams right across the club as a lasting tribute to him.
Slot has welcomed the move, saying: “We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go.
“Maybe especially in difficult moments 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.”
Slot and his wife Mirjam were among the thousands who have visited Anfield to pay their respects to Jota over the past few days.
And he said the fact the former Wolves forward had been through such an unforgettable few weeks gave him some solace in the dark days.
He said: “What I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything.
Jota’s passing shook the world of football[/caption]
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United at Jota’s funeral[/caption]
“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.
“And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.”
The outpouring of emotion since Jota’s death has only reinforced Slot’s own bond with the club and supporters.
He said: “In the title 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.”
He passed away only ten days after his marriage[/caption]
