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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win without optimal performances felt like the mark of true champions.

But, subsequently the tide turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping points. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute backline and squad depth, began closing the distance at the summit.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Can three straight defeats represent a collapse? Like many football debates, it hinges completely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is a question we might settle.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the team are. Yet every one of them share one significant, recent experience: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just more than three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on rapidly, diverting attention to other matters, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each day without their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how each individual and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he was tired. But maybe his form is down a few percentage points due to the fact he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you find daily that spot empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a well-known fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply cannot know how an player is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various people at the club. It is very possible that a few of the squad personally do not truly grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how fans dissect displays is clearly not the primary factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently 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. "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 Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they lost not merely a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.