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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to win without peak displays felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre performances and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight losses represent a collapse? Like most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, perhaps that's a question we can answer.

For a club of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a mini crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the team is. And every one of them have one significant, recent event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three months since the devastating loss of their friend. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, diverting attention to global matters, the club's squad carry on training and playing each 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. There is a significant amount of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a few per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," 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 manager when you come to the training ground and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic event happened, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that a few of the players themselves don't truly grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to tactical issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it every time we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.