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Just a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to win despite not optimal displays felt like the mark of true champions.

But, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and started dropping points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn backline and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does three straight losses constitute a crisis? Like most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" even mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is a question we can answer.

At a team of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor setback seems a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that particular point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

There are obvious tactical issues. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team is. And they all have one significant, fresh experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Field

We are now just over three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. While the wider world progresses quickly, shifting focus to global events, Liverpool's players carry on going to work each day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how each individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But perhaps his form is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a parallel to his own experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar thing 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 manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see daily that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his unused locker 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 matches ago, it indicates that everything is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally do not fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is clearly far from the primary factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.