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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories without peak performances seemed like the mark of true champions.

However, then the momentum shifted. Liverpool persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can a trio of straight losses constitute a crisis? Like most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that is one we can answer.

At a team of this club's size and last season's brilliance, a mini setback seems a fair assessment. During a radio show, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

There are clear footballing issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct skill set to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. In fact, the majority of the team is. Yet every one of them have one significant, fresh event: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the devastating loss of their friend. While the outside world moves on rapidly, diverting attention to other events, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing day after day without their friend.

This is impossible to gauge how every individual and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. There is a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, making a parallel to his own experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after the tragedy. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training complex and you find every day that place vacant. So you have to be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah 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 covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on various people at the organization. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't truly understand its effect from one moment to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is clearly not the primary thing. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to do in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- professional player, the defender, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career 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 no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it every time we analyze their fixtures, and even if it isn't the cause for their final outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a dear friend.