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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories without peak performances felt like the mark of true title-winners.

However, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Can three consecutive losses constitute a crisis? As with many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is one we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor setback appears a reasonable assessment. During a broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team is. And they all share one profound, recent event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world moves on rapidly, diverting attention to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how each player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he was tired. But maybe his form is down a small per cent because he misses his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that place vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most punditry. 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 examples. We are aware a tragic thing happened, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various people at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally do not truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Beyond this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every critique of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

A former pro player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The high points and the lows that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to 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 merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.