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Only a few weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win despite not optimal performances felt like the hallmark of true champions.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre performances and began losing matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and squad depth, started narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive defeats represent a crisis? As with most football debates, it depends completely on your definition of the central word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" even signify? Are Aston Villa a big club? What constitutes "big"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that is a question we might settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback appears a fair assessment. During a broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

There are obvious footballing issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. In fact, most of the team is. Yet they all share one significant, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to other matters, Liverpool's players continue training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to gauge how each individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. There is a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a few per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you come to the training ground and you find daily that spot vacant. So you must be very strong. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they notice his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's death is one of the most stark examples. We know a tragic event occurred, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an intangible level of impact on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad personally don't truly understand its influence from one moment to the next.

The way the press reports on this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the most important factor. On a functional level, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to accomplish in a brief soundbite before transitioning to tactical issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their parental relationships, health struggles, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his career affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or failure—whether or not we omit reference to it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a friend.