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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays felt like the hallmark of genuine title-winners.

However, then the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with average showings and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does three consecutive losses constitute a crisis? As with many football debates, it hinges entirely on your definition of the central term. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, perhaps that's one we can settle.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini crisis appears a reasonable description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who shone last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the squad is. And every one of them share one significant, fresh experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other events, the club's squad carry on going to work each day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to gauge how every player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. But perhaps his performance level is down a small percentage points because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through a very similar thing 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 coach when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his empty locker in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the squad personally don't truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how fans dissect performances is clearly far from the primary factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each criticism 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 pro player, the defender, lately spoke on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The highs and the lows that accompany it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a brilliant player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.