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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without peak performances felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, then the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and began dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began narrowing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three straight defeats constitute a collapse? Like most football debates, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that is one we might answer.

For a club of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, the majority of the squad are. And every one of them have one significant, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to global events, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing each day without their mate.

It is not possible to gauge how each player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he was tired. But maybe his form is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"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 find every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on 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 time and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of impact on different people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is obviously far from the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a short segment before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

A former professional player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "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 months.

The Final Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.