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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories despite not optimal displays seemed like the hallmark of genuine champions.

But, subsequently the momentum turned. Liverpool persisted with average performances and began dropping matches. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their resolute backline and strength in depth, started narrowing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Modern Football

Does three straight losses represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What defines "major"? Are Manchester United returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that's one we can answer.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's brilliance, a mini setback seems a fair description. During a broadcast, former forward Neil Mellor was asked how many losses in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that particular threshold.

Identifying the On-Pitch Problems

One can observe obvious tactical issues. Integrating recent signings like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Furthermore, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, the majority of the squad are. Yet they all share one significant, fresh experience: the passing of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three short months since the tragic loss of their teammate. While the wider world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to other events, Liverpool's squad carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

This is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is coping on any given day. There is a great deal of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. But maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points because he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a fixture, making a parallel to his personal situation of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar 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 come to the training complex and you see daily that spot empty. So you have to 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."

As summarized well on a popular fan podcast, the memory triggers are ongoing. The players hear his song in the 20th minute, they notice his unused peg in the changing room. Even during games, a pass might be played and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have been there.' If Salah showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Personal Grief

Having covering football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most analysis. We genuinely do not know how an individual is coping at any specific moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable level of effect on various people at the club. It is very possible that some of the players themselves do not fully understand its influence from one moment to the next.

How the media reports on this and how fans analyze displays is clearly not the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's death is difficult to accomplish in a short segment before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal challenges, or marital problems.

An ex- professional player, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast 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 high points and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Point

So, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or failure—whether or not we don't mention it every time we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a short time ago they lost not merely a exceptional player, but, crucially, they lost a friend.