🔗 Share this article

Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to secure victories without optimal displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the momentum turned. Liverpool persisted with mediocre showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began narrowing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three consecutive defeats constitute a collapse? Like many sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Well, perhaps that is a question we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

One can observe clear footballing problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, most of the squad are. Yet they all have one significant, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating loss of their teammate. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting attention to global events, the club's players continue going to work day after day without their mate.

It is impossible to know how every player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training ground and you see daily that place empty. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his chant in the first half, they see his empty peg in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally do not fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the most important thing. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro player, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.