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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their capacity to secure victories without optimal displays seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

But, subsequently the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with average performances and began dropping matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal, known for their resolute backline and squad depth, started closing the gap at the summit.

Understanding a Crisis in Today's Game

Can a trio of straight defeats represent a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes elite? How do you define "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, perhaps that's a question we might settle.

For a club of this club's size and last season's excellence, a minor crisis appears a reasonable description. During a radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear footballing problems. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, most of the squad is. And every one of them have one significant, recent event: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Impact: Loss on the Field

We are now just over three months since the devastating passing of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on quickly, shifting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing each day without their friend.

It is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is coping from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match simply he was tired. But perhaps his form is down a small percentage points because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the tragedy. I lived a very similar 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 coach 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 doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they see his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent lack of depth in most analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a tragic event happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on different individuals at the club. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves don't fully understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how supporters analyze performances is obviously not the most important factor. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before transitioning to tactical issues. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, personal challenges, or marital problems.

A former professional player, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "The highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Concluding Point

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it every time we discuss their matches, even if it is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.