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Just a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League crown. Their capacity to win without optimal performances felt like the mark of genuine champions.

However, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with average performances and started losing matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn backline and squad depth, began narrowing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a major club? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a mini setback appears a reasonable description. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the squad are. Yet they all share one significant, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, shifting attention to global events, Liverpool's players continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how every individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, making a parallel to his own situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players 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 obviously not the most important thing. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

A former professional player, the defender, recently talked on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany 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 Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the reason for their final outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.