Liverpool's Recent Difficulties: The Ways Diogo Jota's Absence Continues to Affect the Team

Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to win without peak displays seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with average showings and began losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive defeats represent a crisis? As with most football debates, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, perhaps that's one we can settle.

For a club of this club's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a mini crisis appears a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who excelled last season—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 significant, fresh experience: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the devastating passing of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to global matters, Liverpool's squad carry on going to work day after day without their mate.

This is not possible to know how every player and member of the backroom team is coping on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training ground and you find daily that place empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his unused locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible event occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on different people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously far from the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief segment before moving on to tactical issues. Outside of this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre 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 struggles, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The high points 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 only three short months.

The Concluding Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.