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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and began losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Does three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the central term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is one we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and last season's excellence, a mini crisis seems a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

One can observe clear footballing problems. Integrating new signings 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 gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who excelled last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the squad is. And they all share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just over three months since the devastating passing of their teammate. While the outside world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each 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. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or maybe his form is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I went through a very similar experience 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 arrive at the training ground and you see daily that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. The players hear his chant in the first half, they notice his unused peg in the changing room. Even during matches, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of effect on different people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players themselves do not fully grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously far from the most important factor. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to do in a short segment before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, health challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The high points and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.