The Reds' Current Struggles: How Diogo Jota's Absence Continues to Affect the Team

Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. Their ability to win without peak displays felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with average performances and started losing matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Does three straight defeats constitute a crisis? As with most football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is one we might answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team are. And every one of them have one profound, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their friend. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting attention to global events, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how every individual and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a small per cent because he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any given moment and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible event happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how fans analyze displays is clearly far from the primary thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to tactical issues. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway 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 come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, 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 just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.