Enzo Maresca has paid tribute to the resilience and character of Liverpool’s players, praising the way they have continued to deliver strong performances despite the profound emotional impact of Diogo Jota’s death.
The Portuguese forward tragically died in a car accident in July at the age of just 28, only weeks after playing a key role in the club’s Premier League title triumph,
His death sent shockwaves through the footballing world, and left a deep and personal wound inside Arne Slot’s dressing room.
As Liverpool prepare to travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening looking to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season, Maresca believes the champions’ performances so far this campaign have been nothing short of extraordinary given what they are collectively enduring.
“I don’t think it’s better to play them now just because they’ve dropped points,” Maresca said ahead of the game. “It’s always a tough game. The way they’re doing this season is fantastic, especially after the Jota tragedy.”
The Chelsea head coach, who experienced a similarly traumatic episode during his playing days with Sevilla, drew direct parallels between Liverpool’s situation and the aftermath of Antonio Puerta’s sudden passing in 2007.
Maresca was on the pitch when Puerta, then just 22, collapsed during a LaLiga match against Getafe. The Spain international died three days later in hospital, with cardiac arrest caused by a hereditary heart condition recorded as the cause of death.
It was a moment that would change Sevilla forever and one that has clearly stayed with Maresca to this day.
“I went through exactly the same when I was a player 20 years ago,” he said, reflecting on those events. “It’s not easy for the players, it’s not easy for the club or the manager. When you arrive at the training ground and see every day that place empty. You have to be very strong.”
“This is the reason why for me they’re doing better than good, because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy.”
Maresca’s words speak to the collective strength Liverpool have shown since July. Jota’s death devastated not just the first-team squad, but staff, supporters and the wider football community. A popular figure inside the dressing room and adored on the Kop, the Portugal international had become a symbol of Liverpool’s resurgence under Jürgen Klopp and played a key role in delivering the title back to Anfield.
Current head coach Arne Slot inherited a team carrying both immense potential and immense pain. His early weeks in charge were framed by a shared determination to honour Jota’s legacy on and off the pitch. Liverpool responded with a string of composed, defiant performances
storming to the top of the table, unbeaten through the opening weeks of the season and showing resilience beyond footballing tactics.
Last weekend’s 2–1 defeat to Crystal Palace ended that unbeaten league run, but the trip to Stamford Bridge offers an immediate chance to respond. Slot’s side know victory in west London would reassert their title credentials ahead of the international break, and further underline their ability to focus amid the emotional weight of the campaign.
For Maresca, though, the focus was as much on Liverpool’s strength of character as on tactics and team news.
“When something like that happens, everything changes,” he explained. “The feeling in the dressing room, the atmosphere at training, the bond between players. You see who they are as a group. And for them to play the way they have, to compete like that, it says everything about their mentality.”
Saturday’s meeting at Stamford Bridge promises to be tactically intriguing. For Liverpool, it is another chapter in a season already defined by a mix of grief, resilience and an unwavering determination to keep moving forward together.
