The Reds' Recent Difficulties: How Diogo Jota's Loss Continues to Affect the Team

Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories despite not peak displays seemed like the mark of true champions.

But, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with average performances and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive losses constitute a crisis? Like most football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the central term. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's a question we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor setback seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

There are clear footballing problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the squad is. Yet they all have one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three months since the tragic passing of their friend. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, diverting attention to global events, Liverpool's players carry on going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

This is not possible to know how every player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training ground and you see daily that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as explained well on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is coping at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players personally don't truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is clearly far from the primary thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.