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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win despite not optimal displays felt like the hallmark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the tide turned. Liverpool persisted with average showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight defeats constitute a crisis? As with most sporting discussions, it depends completely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "elite" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's one we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a mini setback seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a number of individuals who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the squad are. And every one of them have one profound, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their friend. While the outside world progresses quickly, shifting focus to global events, Liverpool's players continue going to work day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that spot empty. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As explained well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. They are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they see his empty locker in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any given time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players themselves don't fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or marital problems.

A former pro player, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.