Arne Slot Opens Up About Diogo Jota's Game-Changing Influence at Liverpool
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has emphasized that the club "will never" utilize the heartbreaking loss of Diogo Jota as a "justification" for their disappointing beginning to the 2025–26 campaign.
Jota tragically died in July, sending shockwaves throughout the football community. Numerous Liverpool stars, including Mohamed Salah, didn't just lose a squad member—they lost a dear companion.
Despite unconvincing displays, the Reds kicked off the season with seven straight victories spanning the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup. However, this was followed by four consecutive losses that extended to six defeats in seven matches.
Most recently, Liverpool suffered a comprehensive 3–0 defeat to Manchester City, leaving the Reds trailing by eight points at the summit and their championship hopes in ruins.
Several elements are contributing factors, including insufficient defensive options and new acquisitions struggling to integrate and adjust. However, Andrew Robertson's latest statements highlighted how deeply Jota's absence continues to impact the Liverpool team.
"We face constant evaluation, sometimes justified, sometimes not. But I witnessed that interview directly and understand it remains a concern for us, which is entirely understandable," Slot commented on Friday.
"Right now, I constantly consider how his wife and children must be feeling? Because their situation is infinitely more difficult than ours. But clearly we will miss both the footballer and the individual. Now, we face Nottingham Forest, where last season we trailed 1-0 and it took him [Jota] just one minute to net the equalizer."
Slot acknowledged it's "impossible to quantify the effect on the players and our performances" without Jota. "The final thing I would consider is using it as a justification," he continued. "What I'm certain of is that we miss the athlete, that's absolutely certain, and we miss the individual, but I cannot assess the influence that has on our outcomes. That's beyond my ability to determine, and we will never employ it as a justification."
Robertson: I Couldn't Stop Thinking About Jota
Robertson delivered an emotional homage to Jota following Scotland's World Cup qualification this week, revealing that competing in the tournament was something they frequently discussed.
"I couldn't stop thinking about my friend Diogo Jota today," he expressed. "We talked extensively about the World Cup together. He was absent from Qatar [in 2022] due to injury. I was absent because Scotland didn't qualify. We constantly talked about what attending this World Cup would mean and I know he's somewhere beaming down on me tonight. I simply couldn't stop thinking about him all day."