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Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win despite not peak performances felt like the hallmark of genuine champions.

However, subsequently the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and began losing points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight losses represent a collapse? Like most football debates, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the central word. Is Paul Scholes world class? What does "world class" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, perhaps that's one we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor setback seems a fair assessment. During a broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe obvious footballing issues. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, most of the squad are. And they all have one significant, recent event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on rapidly, shifting attention to global matters, the club's players continue going to work each day in the absence of their friend.

This is not possible to gauge how every individual and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a few percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult 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 find daily that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his unused locker in the changing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves don't fully grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze performances is obviously far from the most important factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

A former pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Concluding Thought

So, whatever Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.