John Obi Mikel says Diogo Jota’s death has emotionally derailed Liverpool’s start to the season | OneFootball

Liverpool are now seven points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal following their 3-2 loss at Brentford last Saturday.

Their hopes of defending the Premier League title already look tenuous.

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has claimed that Diogo Jota’s death has affected the Merseyside outfit.

He told The Obi One Podcast: “Let’s not forget that a massive tragedy happened at the club that nobody expected.

“As footballers, we spend more time with our teammates than with our own families because we are together in the dressing room every single day.

“Losing such a massive figure is always going to affect these players.

“It doesn’t matter how well they started the season or how talented they are – something like this hits you emotionally, and it stays with you.

“For me, whatever is happening at the club, the emotion is still very raw. When you look at Mohamed Salah right now, who was very close to Jota, you can see that he is a shadow of his former self.

“So I think we need to be careful and a bit more understanding in the way we criticise this Liverpool team.”

Jota, who played a key role in Liverpool’s success last season, died in a car accident alongside his brother Andre Silva in July.

While Jota’s demise could be a factor in Liverpool’s struggles, other issues are also affecting the club.

New signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have failed to hit the ground running, registering just three goals across all competitions between them.

Manager Arne Slot has struggled to find the right balance for his team following the massive outlay this summer.

Liverpool are still backing the Dutch tactician. However, he must find a way for his side to overcome these challenges to avoid an underwhelming season.