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Only a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool 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 performances seemed like the mark of true title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre performances and began losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats represent a collapse? Like many sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? How do you define "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a big team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that is one we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's size and last season's excellence, a minor setback appears a reasonable assessment. During a broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause panic. His reply was six. At present, they are midway to that particular point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing issues. Integrating new signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the squad is. And they all have one profound, recent event: the tragic death of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how each individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a few per cent because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I lived a very similar thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find daily that spot vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

As summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an individual is coping at any specific moment and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We know a terrible event occurred, and we understand the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of impact on different individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad themselves do not fully grasp its effect from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans dissect performances is obviously far from the most important factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a short segment before transitioning to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, recently spoke on a broadcast about how his mother's passing midway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in 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 only three short months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.