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Only a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win despite not peak performances felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn backline and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that is a question we might answer.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team is. Yet every one of them have one significant, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just more than three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses quickly, diverting attention to global matters, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how every individual and staff member is coping on any given day. It requires a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training ground and you see daily that place empty. 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 deal with a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of effect on different people at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the squad personally don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional player, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows 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 only three months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their fixtures, even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.