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Just a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories despite not peak performances felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began dropping points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their resolute backline and squad depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive losses constitute a crisis? Like many football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the central word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that's one we can answer.

For a club of this club's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a mini setback seems a fair description. During a radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear footballing issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the squad is. Yet they all share one significant, recent experience: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world progresses quickly, shifting focus to global events, the club's squad carry on going to work day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to know how each individual and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through exactly the same experience 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 come to the training ground and you find every day that spot empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they notice his unused locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players themselves do not fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how fans analyze displays is obviously not the primary thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to do in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points 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 Final Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time 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 merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.