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Just a couple of weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League trophy. Their capacity to secure victories without peak displays felt like the mark of true title-winners.

But, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three consecutive defeats constitute a collapse? Like most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, perhaps that is a question we can answer.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's brilliance, a mini crisis appears a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious tactical issues. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team is. And every one of them have one significant, recent event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on quickly, shifting attention to other events, Liverpool's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points due to the fact he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground 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 well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible event happened, and we understand the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally do not fully understand its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

A former pro player, the defender, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Thought

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or failure—even if we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.