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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to win without optimal displays seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

But, then the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight losses represent a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that is one we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a reasonable assessment. During a broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

There are obvious tactical problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing 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 now underperforming. Actually, most of the team is. Yet they all have one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world moves on quickly, diverting attention to global events, Liverpool's players carry on going to work each day without their friend.

It is not possible to know how each individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his own situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially 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 see daily that place vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally do not fully grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the media covers this and how fans dissect displays is clearly not the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, personal struggles, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death 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 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 short months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.