🔗 Share this article

Only a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's ability to win despite not peak displays felt like the mark of true champions.

However, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and began losing matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a collapse? As with many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the central word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that's one we can answer.

For a club of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a mini setback appears a reasonable description. On a recent radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, most of the squad is. And they all share one significant, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their friend. Although the outside world moves on quickly, shifting attention to other events, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

It is impossible to know how each individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a small per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I went through exactly the same 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 arrive at the training ground and you see every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on various people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves do not fully grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly not the primary factor. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.