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Only a few weeks ago, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win despite not optimal performances seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

But, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and began losing points. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight defeats constitute a crisis? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's a question we might settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a mini crisis appears a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

One can observe obvious footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, the majority of the squad is. Yet they all share one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to global events, the club's squad continue training and playing day after day without their friend.

This is impossible to know how each player and staff member is dealing on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. Or perhaps his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through exactly the same 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 coach when you come to the training ground and you see daily that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible event happened, and we understand the nature of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that some of the players personally do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the most important thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, health challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the high points 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 Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their matches, and even if it is not the sole cause for their final result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.