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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club appeared set to claim back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. Their capacity to win despite not peak displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine champions.

But, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and started dropping points. Meanwhile, the North London club, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does a trio of consecutive losses represent a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it depends completely on your interpretation of the key term. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" actually mean? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that is one we might settle.

At a team of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular point.

Identifying the On-Pitch Issues

One can observe clear tactical problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who offer a distinct style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, blending in a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who elevates those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the team are. Yet every one of them share one profound, recent experience: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. While the wider world progresses quickly, diverting attention to other matters, the club's players carry on going to work day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to know how each player and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he lacked energy. But perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent because he misses his pal.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, making a parallel to his personal experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after the loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player 20 years ago."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized well on a popular supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his song in the first half, they notice his empty peg in the dressing room. In the middle of games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for twenty years, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any given time and how that affects their performance. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic event happened, and we understand the nature of grief. Beyond that lies an intangible layer of effect on various individuals at the club. It is highly likely that some of the squad personally don't fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how fans dissect performances is obviously far from the primary factor. On a practical level, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a short soundbite before moving on to on-field concerns. Outside of this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to preface each criticism of a player with an acknowledgment that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal struggles, or marital difficulties.

An ex- professional footballer, the defender, recently talked 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. "The high points 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 just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—even if we omit reference to it every time we analyze their matches, and even if it is not the sole reason for their final result, we must remember that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not merely a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they lost a friend.