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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories without optimal displays seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and began dropping points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does three consecutive defeats represent a crisis? Like most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is a question we can answer.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a fair description. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

One can observe obvious tactical problems. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented 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 around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who excelled last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the squad is. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, shifting attention to global matters, Liverpool's players carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

This is not possible to gauge how every player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he was tired. But maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the tragedy. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult 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 find daily that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We know a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players personally do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly not the most important factor. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical issues. Outside of this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.