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Only a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially a further Champions League crown. Their ability to secure victories without optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of true champions.

However, then the tide shifted. Liverpool persisted with mediocre showings and began dropping matches. At the same time, Arsenal, renowned for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the top.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Can three straight defeats constitute a crisis? Like most football debates, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder world class? What does "elite" even signify? Is the Birmingham club a big club? What defines "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Alright, maybe that's one we can settle.

For a club of this club's stature and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a fair assessment. On a recent broadcast, former striker Neil Mellor was questioned how many defeats in a row would trigger panic. His reply was six. At present, they are halfway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear footballing problems. Assimilating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, blending in a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the engine room. Observers of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those beside him, connecting play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Furthermore, a host of players who shone last campaign—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now below their best. Actually, the majority of the squad is. And they all share one profound, recent event: the tragic death of their colleague and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Grief on the Field

It has been just more than three months since the devastating passing of their friend. Although the wider world progresses rapidly, diverting focus to other events, the club's players carry on going to work day after day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how each individual and staff member is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of speculation. Perhaps Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he was tired. But maybe his performance level is down a few percentage points due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, drawing a comparison to his personal experience of losing a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's tragedy. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the organization, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find daily that place vacant. So you must be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are performing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as summarized succinctly on a well-known supporter's show, the memory triggers are constant. They are reminded by his chant in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the dressing room. Even during games, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Jota would have been there.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

After covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a inherent superficiality in the majority of punditry. We genuinely cannot know how an player is feeling at any given moment and how that impacts their play. Jota's death is one of the clearest illustrations. We are aware a tragic event happened, and we understand the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different individuals at the club. It is highly likely that a few of the squad themselves do not fully grasp its influence from one day to the next.

The way the media reports on this and how fans dissect performances is clearly far from the primary thing. On a practical level, bringing up Jota's death is challenging to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Beyond this specific tragedy and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface every critique of a player with an admission that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental relationships, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

An ex- professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's passing halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of 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 just three months.

The Concluding Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—be it success or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we discuss their matches, even if it isn't the cause for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a exceptional player, but, more importantly, they said goodbye to a friend.