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Only a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to win despite not optimal displays seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

However, subsequently the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is one we might answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a reasonable description. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the team is. And they all share one profound, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses quickly, shifting attention to global matters, Liverpool's squad continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is not possible to know how each individual and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent because he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's tragedy. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult 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 place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally do not truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is obviously not the primary factor. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

A former pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The high points and the lows that accompany 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 Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.