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Only a few weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to secure victories without peak displays felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the momentum turned. Liverpool persisted with average performances and started dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, started narrowing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive losses constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can settle.

For a club of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a fair description. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear footballing issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. 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 technical player who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the team is. And every one of them have one significant, recent event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other events, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their mate.

It is impossible to know how every player and staff member is coping on any given day. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a few per cent due to the fact he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"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 have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We simply do not know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a tragic event happened, and we comprehend the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally don't fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how fans analyze displays is clearly far from the primary thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, personal challenges, or marital problems.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that accompany 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 months.

The Final Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their final outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.