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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League crown. Their ability to win without peak displays felt like the mark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the momentum turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and started dropping points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and squad depth, began closing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats constitute a collapse? As with many sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your interpretation of the central word. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's one we can settle.

At a team of this club's size and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor setback appears a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team are. And every one of them share one significant, recent experience: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses rapidly, diverting attention to other events, Liverpool's players continue going to work day after day without their friend.

This is impossible to know how every player and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he lacked energy. But maybe his performance level is down a few per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

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

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training complex and you find every day that place vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason 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."

Just as summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we comprehend the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves do not fully grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze performances is obviously far from the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a short segment before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal struggles, or marital problems.

An ex- professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's passing midway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "The high points and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole cause for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.