Liverpool's Recent Struggles: How Diogo Jota's Loss Impacts the Team

Only a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories without optimal performances felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side continued with average performances and began losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does three straight defeats represent a collapse? Like most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that's one we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team are. And every one of them have one significant, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting attention to other events, the club's squad carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how every player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. But maybe his performance level is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you find every day that spot vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his unused locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible event happened, and we comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves don't truly understand its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.