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

Only a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories without peak displays felt like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the tide shifted. Liverpool continued with average performances and started losing points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Does three straight defeats constitute a crisis? As with many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's one we can answer.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis appears a fair description. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team is. Yet they all share one profound, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their friend. Although the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to global matters, Liverpool's squad carry on going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how every individual and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you see daily that spot vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his empty peg in the changing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth 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 examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of impact on various people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players personally do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the primary thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

An ex- pro 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. "Some of the highs and the lows that come with 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 Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—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 eventual result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.