🔗 Share this article

Only a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories without peak displays felt like the hallmark of genuine champions.

But, then the tide shifted. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three straight losses constitute a collapse? As with most football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable description. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

There are clear footballing issues. Integrating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, most of the squad are. Yet they all share one profound, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting attention to global matters, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to gauge how each individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the tragedy. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that place empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is far from normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that a few of the players themselves don't truly understand its influence from one moment to the next.

How the press reports on this and how fans dissect performances is clearly not the primary thing. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or marital problems.

An ex- pro player, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows 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 short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.