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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 crown. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the mark of genuine champions.

But, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and started losing points. At the same time, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three straight losses represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that is a question we might settle.

For a club of this club's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a reasonable description. During a broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear tactical problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, most of the squad are. And every one of them have one significant, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the outside world progresses quickly, shifting attention to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

This is not possible to know how every individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a few per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I lived a very similar experience 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 complex and you find every day that spot empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. The players hear his song in the first half, they see his unused locker in the changing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We know a terrible event happened, and we understand the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on different people at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players personally don't truly understand its influence from one moment to the next.

How the press covers this and how fans analyze performances is clearly far from the primary thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief segment before moving on to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we discuss their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their final outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.