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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win without optimal displays seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

But, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with average showings and began losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight losses represent a crisis? As with many football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, perhaps that is a question we can settle.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. During a radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe obvious tactical issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, most of the squad is. And every one of them have one profound, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, shifting attention to other matters, Liverpool's squad continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how every individual and member of the backroom team is coping on any given day. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, making a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way 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's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that spot empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various people at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the players themselves do not truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the most important factor. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or marital problems.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.