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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories without peak performances seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that's a question we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a mini setback appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

One can observe obvious tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the team are. Yet they all share one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad carry on going to work day after day without their mate.

This 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 simply he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a few 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 doing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult 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 every day that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his unused locker in the changing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on different people at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad personally do not truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how fans analyze displays is obviously not the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

A former professional player, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his career 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 any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole cause for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.