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Just a few weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win despite not peak displays felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with average showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight defeats represent a collapse? As with many football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that is one we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a minor setback seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

One can observe clear footballing problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who excelled last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, the majority of the team are. And they all have one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, diverting attention to global matters, Liverpool's players carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

This is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a few per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, 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 spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his unused peg in the changing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various people at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the squad themselves don't fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the press covers this and how fans analyze displays is obviously far from the primary thing. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro player, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The high points 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 just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

So, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.