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Only a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially another Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories despite not peak performances seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the momentum turned. Liverpool persisted with mediocre showings and began losing points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a crisis? Like most football debates, it depends completely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's a question we can settle.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor setback appears a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe obvious tactical problems. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating 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 effortlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, most of the squad are. And every one of them share one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on quickly, diverting attention to global matters, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is impossible to know how each player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training ground and you see daily that place vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players hear his song in the first half, they notice his unused locker 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 was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible thing happened, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally do not fully grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans dissect performances is obviously not the primary factor. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical issues. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health challenges, or marital problems.

An ex- professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his passion 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 half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.