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Just a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

However, then the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Does three consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the central term. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's one we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback seems a fair description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear footballing problems. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team are. Yet they all share one profound, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the outside world moves on quickly, shifting attention to global matters, the club's players continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

It is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he was tired. But perhaps his form is down a few percentage points because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training ground and you see daily that spot vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic event happened, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves do not truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters analyze displays is clearly not the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, health challenges, or marital problems.

A former professional player, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that come with it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their final outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.