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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories despite not optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and began losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight defeats constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is a question we might settle.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear tactical problems. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing 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 below their best. In fact, most of the team are. And they all share one profound, recent event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting attention to global events, the club's players continue training and playing each day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how every individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a small percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, drawing 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 remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same experience 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 manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that spot empty. 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 trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves do not fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is obviously far from the primary factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death midway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The high points 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 only three months.

The Concluding Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.