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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win despite not peak displays felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. Liverpool continued with average showings and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with most football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Well, perhaps that's a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a minor setback seems a fair assessment. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious tactical problems. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the team are. Yet every one of them share one significant, fresh experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, shifting attention to global events, the club's players carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how every player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a few per cent because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you find every day that spot empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players personally don't truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the primary factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief segment before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the lows 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 Concluding Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, even if it is not the sole reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.