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Only a few weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories despite not peak performances felt like the hallmark of true champions.

However, subsequently the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began narrowing the distance at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does a trio of straight losses constitute a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the central word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Well, maybe that's a question we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis appears a fair assessment. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Likewise, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

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

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Field

We are now just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their friend. Although the outside world moves on rapidly, diverting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work each day without their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how each player and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he was tired. But perhaps his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

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

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find every day that place vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty peg in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on different people at the club. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves don't truly grasp its influence from one day to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters dissect displays is clearly not the primary thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this particular event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, health challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death 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 didn't really feel 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 achieve this season—be it success or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we analyze their fixtures, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.