Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says his side miss Diogo Jota as a player and person, but they will never use his death as an excuse for poor results.
After Scotland’s midweek World Cup qualifying win over Denmark, captain Andy Robertson said he was “in bits” before the game thinking about his former team-mate, who died in a car accident with his brother Andre Silva in July.
“I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today,” said Liverpool left-back Robertson.
“We spoke so much about going to the World Cup because he missed the last one with Portugal and I did with Scotland. I know he’ll be smiling over me today.”
Slot said on Friday: “I saw the interview live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal.
“I think it is good for us to remind (ourselves) of him every time possible because of the person and player he was.
“But it is impossible to measure what it does to the players and then to measure what it does to our results.
“The last thing I would do is use it as an excuse because I simply don’t know. What I do know is we miss the player, that is 100 per cent sure, and we also miss the person.
“But I cannot measure what impact that has on our performances, let alone results. That is impossible to say.
“We will never use it as an excuse because that doesn’t feel right.”
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot talks to Diogo Jota
Asked whether that should be taken into account when assessing Liverpool’s recent performances which has seen them lose seven of their last 10 games, Slot added: “We are always judged, sometimes fair, sometimes unfair.
“But in these moments of time I also think how must it feel for his wife and his children because that is so much harder for them than it is us but that we miss the player and the person, that is completely clear.
“We play Nottingham Forest (on Saturday); last season we were 1-0 down at Forest and it only took him one minute (after coming on) to score the equaliser.
“This time we haven’t been able to come back as many times as last season after being 1-0 down or a goal down and he definitely played his part in that last season.
“Again, his wife and children will miss him so much more.”
Slot’s hopes of arresting the slide on the pitch have not been helped by muscle injuries to playmaker Florian Wirtz and right-back Conor Bradley – the latter set to be sidelined for three weeks – although goalkeeper Alisson Becker is back to face Forest on Saturday after eight matches out with a hamstring problem.
With Liverpool’s other right-back Jeremie Frimpong still a fortnight from fitness it presents an issue for Slot, who has deployed midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai there a number of times this season already.
However, the Hungary captain has been his best player in a more advanced role so that could mean either Curtis Jones or Joe Gomez, who has completed 90 minutes only twice since Boxing Day, could feature.
