Liverpool's Current Difficulties: The Ways Diogo Jota's Absence Impacts the Team

Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool appeared set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with average showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can a trio of straight defeats represent a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's a question we can settle.

At a team of this club's stature and last season's excellence, a mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. During a broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

One can observe clear footballing issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team are. And every one of them share one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three short months since the devastating loss of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on quickly, diverting focus to global matters, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing each day without their friend.

It is not possible to know how each player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points because he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, making a comparison to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you see every day that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, 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 few games ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the concept of grief. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players personally don't fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly far from the most important factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or marital difficulties.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days affected his love 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 after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we analyze their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.