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Only a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays felt like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and started dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats constitute a collapse? As with many sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's excellence, a mini setback appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, the majority of the squad are. Yet they all share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's squad continue training and playing day after day without their mate.

It is not possible to know how each player and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. But perhaps his form is down a small percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially 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 arrive at the training ground and you find daily that place vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his unused locker in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally do not truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze performances is clearly far from the most important thing. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

An ex- professional player, the defender, recently talked on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the lows that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we discuss their matches, and even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.