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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not peak displays felt like the mark of true title-winners.

However, then the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with average performances and began losing matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute defense and squad depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Can a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with most football debates, it depends completely on your interpretation of the central word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" even mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's one we might answer.

At a team of this club's stature and last season's excellence, a minor setback appears a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical problems. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, the majority of the squad are. And they all have one profound, recent event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their friend. While the outside world progresses quickly, diverting attention to global matters, the club's players continue going to work each day without their mate.

It is not possible to know how each individual and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. But maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his own experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that spot empty. 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 trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible thing happened, and we understand the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the players personally don't truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how fans dissect performances is obviously far from the most important thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to tactical issues. Outside of this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional player, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their final outcome, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.