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Just a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with average showings and began dropping matches. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Can a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a collapse? As with many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your definition of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback appears a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

There are clear footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, the majority of the team is. And they all share one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the devastating loss of their teammate. While the wider world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day without their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how every player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a comparison to his own experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you find daily that spot empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are constant. The players hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during 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 few games ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves don't truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the most important thing. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or relationship problems.

A former pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.