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Only a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with mediocre performances and began dropping points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a collapse? Like many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, maybe that is a question we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis appears a fair description. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, most of the squad is. And every one of them share one significant, recent event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world moves on quickly, diverting focus to global events, the club's players continue going to work each day without their mate.

This is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match simply he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you find daily that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as explained well on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't truly understand its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how fans dissect displays is clearly far from the primary factor. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short segment before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, health struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.