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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories without peak performances felt like the mark of true champions.

But, subsequently the tide turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and started losing points. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight defeats constitute a crisis? Like many football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the key term. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, maybe that's one we might settle.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the team is. And they all have one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. While the outside world moves on quickly, diverting attention to global events, Liverpool's players continue training and playing day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to gauge how each individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his form is down a small percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, making a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I lived exactly the same 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 manager when you come to the training complex 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 doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that some of the players personally do not fully understand its effect from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze displays is obviously not the most important factor. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to do in a short soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.