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Only a couple of weeks back, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories without optimal performances felt like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight losses constitute a collapse? Like most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that is one we can settle.

For a club of this club's size and last season's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team are. Yet they all share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just more than three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the outside world moves on quickly, shifting attention to global events, the club's squad carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his own experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible event occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible level of effect on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves do not truly grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the most important factor. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a short segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former pro footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.