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Just a few weeks back, Liverpool seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to secure victories despite not optimal performances seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

However, then the momentum shifted. The Anfield side persisted with average performances and started losing matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, began narrowing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats constitute a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, maybe that's one we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

There are clear footballing issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

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

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Pitch

We are now just more than three months since the devastating loss of their friend. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, diverting attention to global events, Liverpool's players continue training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while 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 thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

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

As explained well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. They hear his song in the first half, they notice his unused locker in the dressing 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 was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

After covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We genuinely do not know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally don't truly grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters analyze performances is clearly far from the most important factor. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each criticism of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the low points that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, whatever Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual result, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.