Daijiworld Media Network – Liverpool
Liverpool, Nov 24: For Liverpool FC, this season has felt doomed long before the first whistle blew — overshadowed by the unbearable loss of star forward Diogo Jota. His sudden death in a car accident left a wound that neither time nor football could quickly heal, leaving the club battling not just opponents on the pitch, but an emotional weight too heavy to quantify.
Every match has carried echoes of Jota — the empty seat in the dressing room, his retired No. 20 fluttering at Anfield, and tributes in the stands. Players, supporters and staff continue to relive memories that refuse to fade.
His close friend and Scotland captain Andy Robertson broke down after securing a World Cup berth last week. “I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today,” he said, recalling how both had dreamed of playing in the tournament together. Scotland qualified, as did Portugal, but Jota’s absence will haunt the journey.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted that the emotional toll is impossible to measure. “It is impossible to say what it does to our results,” he said. “The last thing I would do is use it as an excuse. But it is normal — we remind ourselves of him every time possible because of the person and player he was.”
Mohammed Salah confessed he dreaded returning to Anfield after the tragedy. “Team-mates come and go but not like this,” he said. The club arranged counselling sessions, and Slot encouraged players to embrace their emotions without pressure. “If we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we cry. Be yourself,” he told them.
Yet grief has no rulebook. For some, success accelerates healing; for others, losses deepen the hurt. And Liverpool’s struggles on the pitch have been many — an expensive forward line misfiring, a young midfield overwhelmed, a defence in disarray and Salah enduring a rare slump. Their high-pressing identity has faded, and cracks have appeared all across the system.
Slot has experimented with formations, rotations and tactics, but nothing has halted the slide. With just 18 points in 12 games, this marks the worst start for a defending champion since Leicester’s post-title slump. Liverpool have already lost more matches than they did in the entirety of last season.
Still, hope persists. Their squad is too talented to remain off-colour forever, and Slot too astute to not eventually steady the ship. One day, the goals may return, the midfield may click, the defence may revive, and confidence may flood back.
But no revival will erase the truth: Liverpool lost this season long before it began. Losing the title will hurt — but not nearly as much as losing Jota.