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Only a few weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories without optimal performances felt like the mark of true champions.

But, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does three consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that's a question we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a minor crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are clear tactical problems. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the squad are. And they all share one profound, recent event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the outside world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing each day without their friend.

This is not possible to gauge how every individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day 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 attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any given moment 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 sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players themselves do not fully understand its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the primary factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former pro player, the defender, lately talked 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 lows that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.