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Only a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their capacity to win despite not peak performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

However, then the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with average performances and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and squad depth, started closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three straight defeats constitute a collapse? Like many football debates, it depends entirely on your definition of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "elite" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is one we might 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, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, most of the squad is. And they all have one significant, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just more than three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to global matters, the club's players carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how every 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 because he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar experience 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 coach when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is feeling at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable level of impact on various people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves do not truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect performances is obviously not the most important thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical issues. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, health struggles, or relationship difficulties.

A former pro player, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points 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 months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we discuss 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 player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.