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Just a few weeks back, Liverpool appeared set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to win despite not optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

But, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with average showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Does a trio of straight losses represent a collapse? As with most football debates, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a major team? What defines "big"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, maybe that's a question we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a fair description. On a recent radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that particular point.

Identifying the Tactical Issues

One can observe clear footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, the majority of the team is. Yet every one of them have one significant, recent event: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three months since the tragic loss of their friend. Although the outside world moves on quickly, diverting focus to other events, the club's players carry on training and playing each day without their friend.

It is impossible to know how each player and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, making a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar 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 complex and you find daily that place empty. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are constant. The players are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. Even during games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic event happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of impact on different people at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves do not truly grasp its influence from one day to the next.

The way the media covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly not the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to do in a brief segment before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a footballer with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, personal struggles, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "Some of the high points 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, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we discuss their matches, and even if it isn't the cause for their final outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a dear friend.