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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories without peak performances seemed like the hallmark of genuine champions.

However, subsequently the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with average showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats represent a crisis? Like most sporting discussions, it depends completely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is one we can settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor crisis appears a reasonable assessment. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

One can observe obvious tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the squad is. Yet every one of them have one significant, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the tragic passing of their friend. While the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to other events, the club's squad carry on training and playing day after day without their mate.

This is not possible to gauge how every individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points because he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his own situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you see daily that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during 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 far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any given moment and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a tragic event occurred, and we comprehend the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of effect on different people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the press reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously not the primary factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the lows 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 Final Thought

So, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the cause for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.