Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he simply cannot imagine the dressing room at Anfield without Diogo Jota. The 58-year-old has reflected on the Portugal international's tragic passing in a car crash and revealed how he was left in disbelief by the devastating news when he first heard that the forward he signed had been killed in an accident at the age of just 28.
Klopp reflects on impact of Jota's death
Klopp has spoken about his grief after Jota's death and the devastating impact it will have on the Liverpool dressing room. The former Liverpool boss managed Jota for four years during his time at Anfield and knows how difficult it will be for the club to cope with his shock passing.
He told Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO podcast: "You cannot be prepared to deal with things like that. Today we talk about the transfer window that would have looked completely different. You have to sort the things that you never expected you would have had to think about. Everybody wanted this boy to spend the next 10 years at Liverpool, all-around player, can play all positions, football smart.
"I cannot imagine the dressing room right now without him being there. That's for the boys as well. Nobody at Liverpool will ever use it as an excuse…. He was so close with James Milner, very close with Kostas Tsimiskas, that's moon and mars. Dealing with it on a personal level… Impossible."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportJota death left Klopp in disbelief
Liverpool's former manager also revealed how he was left in disbelief when he was informed about Jota's death. He said: "I got a message in the morning that it was bad news, from a friend from Liverpool and I couldn't believe it. It was not possible. I heard it, know what it means. I saw all the pictures from the wedding and the boys were there… I know exactly where I was and how long I sat there without speaking a word. It’s exactly like a family member. It's an example of the things you have to deal with without knowing at all. You cannot be prepared… you have to sort things you hadn't expected. I was impressed with his presence, a very special young man."
Slot tells Liverpool to follow their emotions
Jota's death brought an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the footballing world. The Reds have since retired his No. 20 jersey and have announced plans for a permanent memorial sculpture at Anfield in tribute to the player and his late brother Andre Silva. Manager Arne Slot has also confirmed that Liverpool have paid out the final two years of Jota's contract to his family and has also spoken about how the players can come to terms with the passing of their late team-mate.
He told Liverpool TV at the start of the season: "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. We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go.
"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 team-mates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well."
GettyLiverpool facing testing time on the pitch
Liverpool are currently in the midst of a winless run after defeat to Manchester United at Anfield made it four straight defeats. The Reds are currently preparing for a trip to Germany to take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League and know that another reverse will make it the first time they've been beaten five times in a row since September 1953.
