Liverpool's Current Difficulties: The Ways Diogo Jota's Loss Continues to Affect the Team

Just a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories despite not optimal displays felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and started losing points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive losses constitute a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, perhaps that's a question we might answer.

For a club of this club's size and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis appears a fair assessment. During a broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe obvious tactical issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last season—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 they all share one profound, fresh experience: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just more than three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world moves on quickly, shifting attention to other events, Liverpool's squad continue going to work each day without their mate.

It is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find daily that place vacant. 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 explained succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his chant in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players themselves do not truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly far from the primary factor. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro player, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the high points and the lows that come with 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 Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time 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 footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.