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Only a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to win without optimal displays felt like the mark of true champions.

However, then the momentum shifted. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three consecutive losses represent a crisis? Like most football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's a question we might answer.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear tactical problems. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the squad are. Yet they all share one profound, fresh experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just over three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses quickly, diverting focus to global matters, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. 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.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad personally do not truly understand its influence from one moment to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the primary thing. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this particular 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 parental situation, personal struggles, or marital problems.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their final outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.