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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories without optimal displays seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the momentum shifted. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and began dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three consecutive losses constitute a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the central term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "world class" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is a question we can answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a mini setback appears a reasonable description. On a recent radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing 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. Actually, the majority of the squad is. And they all share one significant, recent event: the passing of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

We are now just over three months since the devastating loss of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on quickly, diverting focus to other matters, the club's squad continue training and playing day after day in the absence of their mate.

This is not possible to know how each player and staff member is coping from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. Or maybe his performance level is down a few per cent because he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you see every day that place vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to handle a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an player is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a terrible thing happened, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an intangible level of impact on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that some of the players themselves do not truly grasp its influence from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly far from the primary factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a short segment before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental situation, health struggles, or marital problems.

A former pro footballer, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death midway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that come with it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we don't mention it every time we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.