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Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the mark of true champions.

But, then the momentum turned. The Anfield side continued with average showings and started losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three straight losses constitute a collapse? As with most football debates, it depends entirely on your definition of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that's a question we can answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's excellence, a mini setback appears a reasonable description. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe obvious tactical problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative talent who elevates those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. In fact, most of the team is. Yet every one of them share one profound, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world progresses quickly, diverting focus to global events, the club's players continue training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how every player and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he was tired. But maybe his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his own experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same 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 manager when you come to the training ground and you find daily that spot empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they see his unused locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have been there.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is coping at any given time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the most stark illustrations. We know a terrible event occurred, and we comprehend the nature of grief. But further lies an intangible layer of effect on various people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves don't fully understand its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before moving on to tactical issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

A former professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days affected 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 accompany it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Point

So, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their final result, we should not forget that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.