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Only a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to win despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute backline and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Can three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "world class" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that is a question we can answer.

At a team of this club's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor setback appears a fair assessment. During a radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, most of the squad is. Yet they all share one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses quickly, diverting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

It is not possible to know how each individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he was tired. But perhaps his performance level is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see daily that spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty locker in the changing room. Even during matches, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is feeling at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the concept of grief. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on different people at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves do not fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the primary thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, personal struggles, or relationship difficulties.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." 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 in the coming months—if it's something or failure—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we analyze their fixtures, even if it isn't the cause for their final outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.