Liverpool’s pre-season delay is just the beginning

Liverpool have delayed their pre-season. It's just the beginning of a surreal summer.

Liverpool have decided to delay their pre-season until Monday, per This Is Anfield, after the death of Diogo Jota. A lot of the players were set to report on Friday but will now have that delayed for a few more days.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota scores a hat-trick - The night we knew he was special

And that's completely understandable. The tragedy on Thursday morning has devastated everyone and just one look at the sorts of tribute messages and posts left over the last couple of days highlights that.

This isn't a group that could possibly return to training and normality today. Honestly, they'll struggle to do so on Monday, too.

It's just the beginning of what will be an incredibly difficult time for the club.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota - 20 moments to remember

Liverpool's surreal season

Really, the entire campaign will be a difficult one. Things will start to feel more 'normal' eventually, they always do, but there's no chance of smooth sailing.

And that starts with pre-season. Mo Salah's tribute to Diogo summed up the feeling that will inevitably linger in the background: a fear of trying to continue.

"Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break," he wrote. "Team mates come and go but not like this.

"It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back."

Honestly, I have no idea how you cope with that. How do you continue after this? Can you 'continue'?

Maybe this is just the start of something entirely new for everyone. There are so many uncertainties around how individuals cope with this that there will surely be more delays and changes to come.

Liverpool have commitments to a pre-season tour of Asia this summer. It feels crazy to go on that now but also maybe that's the only way forward? To try and normalise something that isn't remotely normal.

How do new players gel into a team like this? They're suddenly trying to link up into a group that has an unbelievably powerful shared experience. It's a surreal situation.

I appreciate that this has turned into a complete ramble of thought here but that's largely the point. The pre-season delay is just the start of a period where nothing is normal and no one knows what they're doing.

It will be tough for everyone at Liverpool and we can only offer our complete support. This is a club that carries tremendous pressure and piles it on every player, after all.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s Diogo Jota tributes: Emotional messages from everyone at the club

But this season? There just can't be any. Nothing but support as this group tries to navigate something none is remotely prepared for.