Chelsea’s head coach Enzo Maresca has explained that it is up to one of his players whether he features against Palmeiras following the death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.
Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva – also a footballer at Portuguese second-tier side Penafiel – died in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning in northwest Spain.
The Guardia Civil told BBC Sport that the pair died at around 00:30 local time on Thursday after the Lamborghini they were travelling in caught fire while overtaking another vehicle.
Once news spread, various names from the footballing world, such as Jamie Carragher and Cristiano Ronaldo, paid homage as well the clubs Jota had played for - Pacos de Ferreira, Porto, Wolves, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool – while the Reds’ rivals, Manchester United and Everton, also released tributes.
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Later in the day, both former and current Liverpool head coaches, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, released heartfelt statements.
Of course, for most clubs it is still the ‘off-season’, but for Chelsea they have a Club World Cup quarter-final to play in the early hours of Saturday morning when they face Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.
And head coach Maresca explained how Jota’s Portugal and former Wolves teammate Pedro Neto was “very sad” and that he “didn’t see him in training earlier”.
“It’s a very sad day,” Maresca said on Friday. “I struggle to find words; it is very difficult. You feel a little bit helpless in this situation. I can only say all my love to [Jota’s] family. It’s a big tragedy for them. In terms of Pedro, he is very sad. Probably more than sad. We are close to Pedro to support him.
“Because I didn’t see him in training earlier. It’s completely Pedro’s decision [to play]. I had a chat this morning with Pedro. We support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella gave his thoughts and admitted that "it was not his [Neto's] best moment".
“The manager and he must decide, but it’s important that Pedro feels good,” the Chelsea defender said.
“Football is secondary, but it’s a long day tomorrow, and whatever they decide will be good. But right now he’s a player in form and I think Pedro can help us in this game.”
He added: “In the morning, he was sad, and it was not his best moment.
“But we tried to stay together, and in the afternoon he was a bit better and I told him that if he’s going to play then he will score because that is destiny. Hopefully, we can show his love and all the good friends that we are and dedicate the goal to him.”
Topics: Diogo Jota, Chelsea, Enzo Maresca, Football, Premier League
Luke Davies