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Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. Their ability to secure victories without peak displays seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side continued with average showings and started dropping matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and squad depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your interpretation of the central term. Was the United midfielder world class? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What constitutes "major"? Are Manchester United back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a minor setback seems a fair description. During a broadcast, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious footballing issues. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who improves those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team are. And every one of them have one profound, recent experience: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three short months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to global matters, the club's squad continue going to work each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how each player and staff member is coping on any given day. It requires a significant amount of projection. Perhaps Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a small percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, making a parallel to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I went through a very similar thing 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 coach when you arrive at the training ground and you find every day that place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. The players are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent 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 impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of grief. But further lies an intangible level of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously not the primary factor. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Outside of this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, personal struggles, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that accompany it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their final result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a brilliant player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.