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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to win despite not peak performances felt like the mark of true title-winners.

But, then the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with average showings and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, started closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is a question we might answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a minor setback seems a reasonable description. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Identifying the Tactical Problems

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, the majority of the team are. Yet they all have one profound, fresh event: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just more than three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to other events, the club's squad continue training and playing each day without their mate.

It is not possible to gauge how each player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. It requires a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a small per cent because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived a very similar experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that spot vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a through ball might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most analysis. We simply 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 most stark examples. We are aware a tragic thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of impact on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally don't fully understand its effect from one day to the next.

How the media covers this and how supporters dissect displays is obviously not the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to on-field issues. Outside of this specific event and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital problems.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the high points and the low points that come with it no longer felt the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.