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Just a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories despite not optimal displays felt like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. Liverpool persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive losses constitute a crisis? As with many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is a question we might settle.

For a club of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a mini crisis appears a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious tactical problems. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team are. And every one of them have one significant, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three short months since the devastating loss of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, shifting attention to global events, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing day after day without their mate.

This is not possible to gauge how every player and member of the backroom team is coping on any given day. It requires a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, 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 explanation 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 explained well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They hear his song in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable level of effect on different people at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves don't fully understand its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

A former pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they lost a friend.