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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

But, subsequently the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with mediocre performances and began dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began narrowing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three consecutive losses represent a collapse? Like many football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's one we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a mini crisis seems a fair description. During a broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

There are clear footballing problems. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the team are. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to other events, the club's players continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he was tired. Or perhaps his performance level 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 fixture, drawing a parallel to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar 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 manager when you arrive at the training complex and you see daily that spot vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an player is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We know a tragic event occurred, and we comprehend the concept of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various people at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the media covers this and how fans dissect displays is clearly not the most important factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a short soundbite before transitioning to tactical issues. Outside of this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their fixtures, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.