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Only a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to win without optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and began losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive losses represent a crisis? Like most football debates, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, perhaps that is a question we can settle.

For a club of this club's size and last season's excellence, a minor crisis seems a reasonable assessment. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the squad are. Yet every one of them share one significant, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world progresses quickly, diverting attention to other events, the club's squad carry on going to work day after day without their mate.

It is not possible to know how every player and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his form is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a parallel to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic event happened, and we understand the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves don't fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health struggles, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.