🔗 Share this article

Only a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the mark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight defeats represent a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is one we can answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a mini crisis appears a fair description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team are. Yet every one of them share one significant, fresh event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the devastating passing of their teammate. While the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to global events, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

This is not possible to gauge how each player and member of the backroom team is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the 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 arrive at the training complex and you see daily that spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized 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. In the middle of games, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given time and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves don't fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the most important factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical concerns. Outside of this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.