The Reds' Recent Difficulties: How Diogo Jota's Absence Impacts the Squad

Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win without peak performances felt like the mark of true champions.

But, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and started dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a mini setback appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear footballing issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team are. Yet they all have one profound, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting attention to other events, the club's players carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to gauge how every individual and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training ground and you see every day that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

As explained well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an player is coping at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible event occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad personally don't fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how fans analyze displays is obviously not the primary thing. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short segment before transitioning to on-field issues. Outside of this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, health challenges, or relationship problems.

A former pro footballer, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that accompany 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 Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their fixtures, even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.