Liverpool's defence of the Premier League title fell a long way short and manager Arne Slot paid the price. Slot's sacking serves as confirmation that the team's performance didn't meet expectations but there's always been a tragic truth just beneath the surface.
The Reds have had to deal with the death of teammate Diogo Jota, who passed away with his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain last July. Football and Liverpool paid their tributes but the depth of loss among the players can't be understood on the outside.
Former Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson spoke about Jota on a number of occasions as his time at Anfield came to an end. With his own move away imminent, Ibrahima Konate has given a candid interview about his struggles.
'You can suffer from depression in football too'
Konate, 27, is at the end of his Liverpool contract and is reportedly in advanced talks over a move to Real Madrid, where he will link back up with former teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The France defender lived near Jota and has revealed that losing a friend and his father in a matter of months contributed to a season-long battle with depression.
"There are low points, there's depression," Konate told France Inter radio. "You can suffer from depression in football too; there's no need to be ashamed to say so.
"It's true that I've often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn't understand because they were earning a lot of money.
"But no, that's rubbish and you shouldn't say that. Depression is personal; it's deep inside you. When you're depressed, it starts in the heart, goes up to the brain and takes over your whole body. For me, that's what's hard, and we need to talk about it."
Liverpool as a squad and a club have had to handle this behind the scenes for almost a year. Its impact on their season, which they have at no point accepted as an excuse for their under-performance, cannot be measured.
"It devastated me. I didn't have any interest in anything else at that point," said the French centre-back.
"You go back to football because you have no choice. We're employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties.
"We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There's no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it."
Konate suffered a family tragedy too. After a period of illness, his father, Hamady, passed away in January. The defender said that he kept his grief to himself and wishes he hadn't, admitting that his depression worsened throughout the season.
Konate is to be applauded for speaking out about his own difficulties and for encouraging others in the same position to do the same.
""his is the advice I'd give to everyone: when you're feeling down or something's going on, you need to talk to those around you," he said.
"It can help you and do you good. I didn't talk about it and kept it to myself."
