PHILADELPHIA — Enzo Maresca told Chelsea forward Pedro Neto that it will be “completely his decision” if he plays in Friday’s Club World Cup quarterfinal against Palmeiras after the death of close friend and Portugal teammate Diogo Jota.
Liverpool forward Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva died early Thursday in northern Spain in a car crash. Jota played alongside Neto at Wolves before moving to Liverpool in 2020, and the pair won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal last month.
Neto did not take part in Chelsea’s training session in Miami on Thursday morning after being told of Jota’s death. Coach Maresca said that the player is under no pressure to play against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
“Pedro is very sad, probably more than sad,” Maresca told reporters. “But we are close to Pedro to support him in this moment. It’s completely Pedro’s decision [if he wants to play]. I had a chat with him this morning, and we support him. Any decision he takes is the right one.
“We will support him in any case. If he is on the pitch tomorrow or not, we will support him.
“It’s very sad day, and I struggle to find words. It’s very difficult, the feeling that you have is helplessness in this situation. The only thing I can say is all my love for his [Jota’s] family in this big tragedy.”
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella echoed Maresca’s comments and said that the squad has come together to support Neto.
“In the morning, he was sad, and it was not his best moment,” Cucurella said. “But we tried to stay together, and in the afternoon, he was a bit better.
“I told him that if he’s going to play, then he will score because that is destiny. Hopefully, we can show his love and all the good friends that we are and dedicate the goal to him. It’s important that Pedro feels good [to play]. Football is secondary, but it’s a long day tomorrow, and whatever they decide will be good.
“Football is not important at times like this. The most important thing is that we show respect and all our love.”