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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without optimal displays felt like the mark of genuine champions.

However, then the tide shifted. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and started losing points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can a trio of consecutive losses constitute a crisis? Like most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a fair description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear tactical problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, the majority of the team are. Yet they all share one significant, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their friend. Although the outside world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's squad continue training and playing day after day without their friend.

It is not possible to know how each individual and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find daily that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are constant. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota 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 Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves do not truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously not the primary factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to do in a short segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.