2 hours ago
40
Bacary Sagna has advised Liverpool's players to seek counseling and speak to a professional psychologist as the squad attempts to deal with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota.
The Portugal star passed away in a car crash on July 3, along with his brother Andre Silva, in an incident which has left Liverpool and the world of soccer in deep mourning. Just nine days after the news of Jota’s death broke, the Reds were back in action and faced Preston North End in an early pre-season friendly.
With the start of the new Premier League season just four weeks away, Liverpool players are still trying to process the unimaginable loss. It’s a feeling Sagna can relate to from his playing days, when the former Arsenal defender’s brother, Omar, died on the day before his 28th birthday.
Sagna admits he tried to bury the feelings and played on with the emotional burden. It impacted his performances and his mental state away from the pitch. Speaking in a recent interview, the Frenchman said there were days when he could barely remember driving into training.
“I lost my brother when I joined the team in 2008,” Sagna told CNN. “My brain was not here.
“It was my second season, so some of the [Liverpool] players might come and be in the same mindset, might not have their head into football because they will constantly think about it because in the dressing room one space will be free.
“Lunch time, one space will be free; in the bus, one place will be free. So I clearly advise them to speak up.
“We're all going to go one day. Unfortunately, some people go way earlier. It's upsetting, very upsetting, because you have many questions, but you need to move on.”
Reflecting on his experience at Arsenal, Sagna said: “It was like a matrix. I didn't know what was happening. I was shocked. My brain was paralyzed. I could not think anymore, I could do nothing right.”
What ultimately helped Sagna was speaking to a psychologist, something he admits he was initially reluctant to entertain. But the experience proved beneficial and helped the now 42-year-old cope with the grief.
Sagna has “100 percent” advised Liverpool’s players to reach out to someone for support following the devastating news earlier this month.
“They need to process it; they need to open up about it, they need to not forget. Because the mistake I did was to try and avoid talking about it,” he said.
“You have to let things out before you can even perform and let your football out. As a tip, maybe try to use this experience to get stronger, and use it every single time.
“I can guarantee you just to feel the love,” he added. “They [psychologists] understand you. It's open talk and we talked about life we talked about many things and most importantly, I felt a relief, felt light after this, and I was like ‘why didn't I go and open up earlier?’
“I didn't have the courage, I didn't measure the importance of talk and speaking up. They meet so many people they hear so many stories so it's really important.”
English (US) ·