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Just a couple of weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

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

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Does three consecutive defeats represent a crisis? Like most sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "elite" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that's a question we might answer.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a mini setback appears a fair description. During a radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the squad is. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate 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. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting attention to global matters, the club's players continue training and playing day after day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to gauge how each individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, making a parallel to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar 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 coach when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day 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 deal with a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. Even during matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic event happened, and we comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that a few of the players personally do not fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the primary factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field issues. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, health struggles, or relationship problems.

A former pro player, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.