'We miss the player and the person': Slot on Jota
What's the story
Liverpool's head coach, Arne Slot, has admitted that his team misses Diogo Jota both as a player and a person. The Portuguese winger tragically died in a car accident last summer at just 28 years old. After Scotland's recent World Cup qualifying victory over Denmark, Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson opened up about how much he misses his former teammate. "I couldn't get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today," said Robertson. And on Friday, Slot also spoke about Jota.
Acknowledgment
Slot acknowledges impact of Jota's absence
Slot also acknowledged the emotional toll of Jota's absence on his players. "I saw the interview [with Robertson] live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal," he said at a press conference. He stressed that while they miss Jota as a player and person, they won't use his absence as an excuse for poor performance. "It is impossible to measure what it does to the players and then to measure what it does to our results," Slot added.
Performance
Liverpool's recent performance and Jota's absence
Liverpool have struggled lately, losing four of their last five Premier League matches. They were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium before the international break, leaving them eighth in the table and eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Ahead of Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest, Slot was asked if Jota's absence should be considered when judging Liverpool's recent performances. He said: "We are always judged, sometimes fair, sometimes unfair."
Impact
Slot emphasizes Jota's impact on Liverpool's gameplay
Slot highlighted Jota's significant role in Liverpool's gameplay, especially during their last season. He recalled a past match against Nottingham Forest where Jota scored just a minute after coming on as a substitute. "So now I am talking about the player that we miss for sure," said Slot. "That we also miss him as a person is also clear."
Injuries
Slot's comments on Bradley and Wirtz's injuries
Liverpool manager Slot also confirmed that Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz will miss the upcoming matches against Nottingham Forest and beyond. The news comes after both players returned from international duty with muscle injuries. In his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Slot said: "We do have some issues after the international break. Conor Bradley is not able to play and Florian Wirtz is unable to play. That's far from ideal."