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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win without optimal performances felt like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with average performances and began losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Can three straight losses represent a collapse? Like many football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's one we can answer.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback appears a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious tactical problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, most of the squad is. And every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's squad continue going to work each day in the absence of their mate.

It is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match because 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, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar experience 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 spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are constant. They hear his song in the first half, they see his unused peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible event happened, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on various people at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the most important factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a short soundbite before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional player, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.