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Only a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly another Champions League crown. The team's ability to secure victories without peak displays seemed like the mark of genuine title-winners.

But, then the tide turned. Liverpool continued with average showings and began dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their resolute backline and squad depth, began narrowing the gap at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your definition of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is one we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's excellence, a minor setback seems a fair description. During a radio show, 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 point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe clear tactical issues. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. Actually, most of the squad is. Yet every one of them have one profound, recent experience: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, diverting attention to global matters, Liverpool's squad continue training and playing day after day without their mate.

This is impossible to know how every player 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 was tired. Or perhaps his form is down a small percentage points because he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke insightfully before a fixture, drawing a parallel to his personal experience 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 a very similar 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 coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see daily that place vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are ongoing. The players are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is not all right.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Human Emotion

Having reporting on football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of punditry. We genuinely do not know how an player is feeling at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic thing occurred, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the players personally don't fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how fans dissect displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every criticism of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or marital difficulties.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or if it's nothing—whether or not we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, even if it isn't the reason for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not just a brilliant footballer, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.