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Just a few weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's ability to secure victories despite not optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight defeats constitute a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What constitutes "major"? 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 mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker 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, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the squad are. And they all share one significant, fresh experience: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three short months since the devastating loss of their friend. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's players continue going to work each day without their friend.

This is impossible to know how every player and staff member is dealing on any given day. 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 per cent because he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his personal situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived exactly the same experience 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 arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his song in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves do not fully grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the primary factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, health challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points 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 just three months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they lost a friend.