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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, subsequently the momentum turned. The Anfield side continued with average performances and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight losses constitute a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your definition of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that's one we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback seems a fair assessment. During a radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

There are clear footballing issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, the majority 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: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their teammate. While the outside world moves on quickly, diverting focus to global matters, Liverpool's squad carry on going to work each day without their mate.

This is impossible to know how each player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I lived 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 come to the training complex and you see every day that place vacant. So you must 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 well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are constant. They hear his song in the first half, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply do not know how an player is feeling 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 comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable level of effect on various people at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the squad personally do not fully grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the primary thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel 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, 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 reason for their eventual result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.