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Just a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without peak performances felt like the mark of true champions.

However, subsequently the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with mediocre performances and started losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, perhaps that is one we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a mini crisis seems a fair description. During a broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are obvious tactical issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team is. And every one of them share one profound, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three months since the devastating loss of their teammate. While the wider world moves on quickly, shifting attention to other matters, Liverpool's players continue training and playing each day in the absence of their mate.

It is not possible to gauge how each player and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, 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 must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players themselves do not fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to do in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or relationship difficulties.

A former pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.