Trent Alexander-Arnold sends Diogo Jota love but highlights sobering Liverpool future

Trent Alexander-Arnold showed love for Diogo Jota at the FIFA Club World Cup. His comments highlight a sobering summer for Liverpool, however.

Trent Alexander-Arnold paid tribute to Diogo Jota after Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund at the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday. Alexander-Arnold wasn't able to be at Jota's funeral as he's at the tournament with Real Madrid.

READ MORE: At a time of tragedy Liverpool stands strong

But he shared some emotional comments about his teammate at the end of the match.

"I had to try to perform for the team and help them win the game, no matter how difficult it was," he told DAZN. "As hard as it was to do it, I had to push myself to focus on what my job and role was.

"I tried to do it as best as I could, but it was difficult and I am not going to lie about that.

"[Jota] was one of my close friends - and I am sure that's what he would have wanted me to do. I'm sure we would have had a laugh and joke about the assist as well. He was there with me, I am sure."

It's an emotional response to an incredibly emotional time, as we've seen from everybody who knew Jota. The impression he's left on every teammate is plain to see.

But his comments also highlight what will be a sobering, difficult time for Liverpool this summer.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota - He was one of us

Liverpool's pre-season

As Alexander-Arnold says, the best way for him to get through this was to focus entirely on the match and his role at Real Madrid. That helped him push on and perform what must feel like an exceptionally trivial job right now.

But it’s something that Liverpool will find tough when they return for pre-season training on Tuesday. It’s not an environment in which they can focus on the task at hand - there aren’t any serious matches for over a month.

On top of it all, it’s a giant shared experience as they return to a squad without Jota. It’s difficult to see how they handle it and every single fan should do what they can to alleviate any and all pressure on the squad, quite honestly.

The pressure on the team was set to be immense this coming season after a giant spend and with expectations sky-high. Now? It’s all suddenly so meaningless, at least right now, and without any obvious way to shake off the emotion of it.

READ MORE: Liverpool players must be given time and space to grieve

We’ll see what the season holds and how perspectives shift. For now, though, it’s all about getting through an incredibly sobering time with as much understanding as possible.