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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and possibly a further Champions League trophy. The team's capacity to secure victories without optimal displays felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. Liverpool continued with mediocre showings and started losing matches. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and squad depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Crisis in Modern Football

Can three straight losses constitute a crisis? Like many sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes elite? What does "elite" even mean? Are Aston Villa a major team? What defines "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Alright, perhaps that is a question we might answer.

For a club of Liverpool's size and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback seems a reasonable assessment. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe obvious tactical issues. Assimilating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different style to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a talented attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who excelled last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the squad is. Yet every one of them share one significant, fresh experience: 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 devastating loss of their teammate. While the wider world moves on quickly, shifting attention to other events, Liverpool's players continue going to work each day in the absence of their friend.

It is not possible to know how every individual and member of the backroom team is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or maybe his form is down a small percentage points because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a recent, drawing a parallel to his personal situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground 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 attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

As explained succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the 20th minute, they notice his unused peg in the dressing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a inherent lack of depth in most punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an individual is coping at any specific time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's death is one of the clearest examples. We are aware a terrible thing happened, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable level of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the players personally don't fully grasp its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously far from the primary factor. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to do in a short soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify every critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their family relationships, health challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days affected his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three months.

The Final Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve in the coming months—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole cause for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a dear friend.