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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories despite not peak performances felt like the mark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and began dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? As with many football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that's one we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis appears a reasonable assessment. During a broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear tactical problems. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, the majority of the team is. And every one of them share one profound, recent event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three months since the tragic passing of their friend. While the outside world moves on quickly, shifting focus to global events, the club's squad continue going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

This is not possible to know how every individual and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. But maybe his form is down a few percentage points because he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially 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 organization, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that spot vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his unused locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an player is feeling at any given time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We know a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various people at the organization. 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 media reports on this and how fans dissect performances is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, health struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.