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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to win despite not peak displays felt like the hallmark of genuine champions.

However, then the tide turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and began dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn backline and squad depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? Like many football debates, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that is a question we can settle.

At a team of this club's size and last season's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable description. During a radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear footballing problems. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the team is. And they all share one significant, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the wider world progresses quickly, shifting attention to other events, the club's squad carry on going to work each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to gauge how each player and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a few per cent due to the fact he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's tragedy. I lived exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

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 thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any given time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't fully understand its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is obviously far from the most important factor. On a practical basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Outside of this particular tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, personal struggles, or relationship difficulties.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his career affected his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points 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 only three months.

The Concluding Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.