🔗 Share this article

Only a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to secure victories without peak performances seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

However, then the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with average performances and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and squad depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three straight defeats represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that is a question we might settle.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a mini setback seems a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are clear footballing problems. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the team are. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the wider world progresses quickly, diverting focus to other events, Liverpool's players carry on going to work each day without their friend.

It is not possible to gauge how each 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 recent match simply he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the squad themselves don't truly grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the primary factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with 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 Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.