🔗 Share this article

Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays felt like the mark of genuine champions.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and started losing points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that's a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a mini crisis appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who excelled last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the squad are. And they all have one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just over three months since the devastating passing of their friend. While the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is not possible to gauge how each individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a few per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his own experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"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 complex and you see every day 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 deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad personally don't fully understand its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how fans analyze displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the lows 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 short months.

The Final Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.