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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to win despite not peak performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

But, subsequently the momentum turned. The Anfield side persisted with mediocre showings and started losing matches. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started closing the gap at the top.

Understanding a Slump in Modern Football

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a collapse? Like most sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the central term. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" actually mean? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Alright, maybe that's one we can answer.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a mini setback seems a fair assessment. During a radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would cause alarm. His answer was six. At present, they are halfway to that particular threshold.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are clear tactical issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a different skill set to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, blending in a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who elevates those beside him, linking play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a number of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently below their best. Actually, most of the squad are. Yet every one of them have one significant, recent event: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three short months since the devastating passing of their teammate. Although the wider world moves on rapidly, diverting focus to other events, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to know how every player and member of the backroom team is dealing on any given day. It requires a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a recent match simply he lacked energy. Or perhaps his form is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, making a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not well, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a well-known fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his chant in the first half, they see his unused peg in the dressing room. Even during matches, a through ball might be played and the realization arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that everything is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having covering football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental lack of depth in most punditry. We simply do not know how an player is coping at any given moment and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a tragic event happened, and we understand the concept of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that a few of the squad themselves don't fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

How the press covers this and how supporters analyze performances is obviously far from the primary thing. On a functional basis, mentioning Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief soundbite before transitioning to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- pro footballer, the defender, lately talked on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days affected his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Point

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—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 is not the sole cause for their eventual outcome, we should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.