Liverpool’s pre-season had been scheduled to commence on Friday, with players set to return to the club and AXA Training Centre to begin preparations for the 2025-26 season. The tragic death of forward Diogo Jota in an auto accident saw that delayed.
Friday was pushed back to the following Tuesday, four days later. Those four days have now passed, and with it Liverpool’s stars have begun to make their returns to the club, with the first wave of returnees set to undergo fitness tests today. It hardly seems enough time.
As much as the fitness tests, then, there will need to be a massive effort from the coaching and support staff to prepare the players mentally, and it is impossible to predict how the team collectively will respond to the loss of their friend and teammate.
There is a world, perhaps, where they come together, gain focus, and set out to play the season—to achieve something special—to honour Jota. And there is a world where they never fully settle, are just a little off—a touch short of their best—because of it.
Time, though, won’t be a luxury. Not beyond the four day delay, at least. A first pre-season friendly, against Championship side Preston, is set for Sunday. It’s even set for broadcast on ITV in England, not just club channels—a decision made before the Jota tragedy.
After the initial phase of pre-season that takes place in England, Liverpool are scheduled to head to Asia for this summer’s pre-season tour, with stops to face [AC Milan](https://acmilan.theoffside.com) in Hong Kong on July 26th and Japan’s Yokohama Marinos in Yokohama on July 30th.