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

Only a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, then the tide turned. Liverpool continued with average showings and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began narrowing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight defeats constitute a collapse? Like most football debates, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, maybe that is a question we can settle.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable description. During a broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents 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 talent who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team is. And every one of them have one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. While the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day without their friend.

It is impossible to know how every player and staff member is coping on any given day. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. But perhaps his performance level is down a few percentage points because he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you find daily that spot empty. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is far from normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on different people at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the squad themselves do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly not the most important thing. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each criticism of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- pro player, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they lost a friend.