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Only a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win without optimal displays seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

But, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, perhaps that's one we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a mini crisis appears a reasonable description. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts 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 below their best. In fact, most of the squad are. Yet they all share one profound, recent event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world progresses quickly, shifting attention to other events, the club's squad continue going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his own experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training ground and you find daily that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They hear his song in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the changing room. Even during games, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible event happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players personally don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously far from the most important thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief segment before moving on to tactical concerns. Beyond this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal struggles, or marital problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy 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

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.