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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without peak displays felt like the mark of true champions.

However, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and started dropping points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's a question we might settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor setback seems a reasonable description. During a radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear footballing issues. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, the majority of the team are. And every one of them share one profound, fresh experience: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to global events, the club's squad continue going to work day after day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how every individual 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 recent match because he was tired. Or perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent because he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you find every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. The players are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most punditry. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We know a terrible event happened, and we comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the players themselves do not truly understand its effect from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze displays is clearly far from the primary factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing 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 lows that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Thought

So, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we analyze their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.