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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, started narrowing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight losses constitute a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's a question we can settle.

At a team of this club's size and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are obvious footballing 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. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the team is. And every one of them share one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to global events, the club's squad carry on going to work each day without their mate.

This is impossible to know how every player and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent due to the fact he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, making a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you see every day that spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as explained well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They hear his chant in the first half, they notice his unused locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that a few of the players themselves do not truly grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly not the primary factor. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or marital difficulties.

A former pro player, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.