🔗 Share this article

Just a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win without peak displays felt like the mark of true title-winners.

However, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, began narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? Like most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's a question we might answer.

For a club of this club's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor setback appears a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe obvious footballing problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the squad is. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad continue going to work each day without their friend.

It is not possible to gauge how each player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. But maybe his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his pal.

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

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you find daily that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. They hear his song in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply cannot 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 examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves do not truly grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously far from the primary thing. On a practical level, mentioning 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 preface every criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points that come with it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.