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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without optimal displays felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

But, subsequently the momentum shifted. Liverpool continued with average showings and started dropping matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three straight losses represent a collapse? Like most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that is one we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis appears a reasonable description. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

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

The Unseen Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three short months since the devastating loss of their friend. Although the wider world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's players continue training and playing each day without their mate.

This is not possible to know how every individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his own situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through exactly the same 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 coach when you arrive at the training ground and you find every day that place vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They hear his chant in the first half, they see his unused peg in the changing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally don't truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze displays is clearly not the primary thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief segment before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health challenges, or marital problems.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt 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

So, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or failure—whether or not we don't mention it every time we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their final result, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.