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Just a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League trophy. Their capacity to secure victories without optimal performances seemed like the mark of genuine champions.

However, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and started losing matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Can three consecutive losses represent a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is one we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's size and last season's brilliance, a minor crisis appears a fair description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe obvious footballing problems. Integrating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, the majority of the squad is. And they all share one significant, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the devastating passing of their teammate. While the outside world moves on quickly, shifting attention to global matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to gauge how each individual and staff member is coping on any given day. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, 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 doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a tragic thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of effect on different individuals at the club. It is very possible that a few of the squad personally do not truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly far from the most important thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field issues. Outside of this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each criticism of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former pro player, the defender, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.