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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with average showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight losses represent a crisis? As with most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the central term. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's a question we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and last season's brilliance, a mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the team are. And every one of them have one significant, fresh experience: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to global matters, the club's squad carry on going to work day after day without their friend.

This is impossible to know how every player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his form 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 fixture, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you see every day that place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We know a tragic thing occurred, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players personally do not fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters dissect displays is obviously far from the most important factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their final outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.