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Just a couple of weeks back, the Merseyside club seemed set to secure back-to-back Premier League titles and potentially a further Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win without peak performances felt like the mark of genuine champions.

However, then the tide turned. The Anfield side continued with mediocre showings and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their stubborn defense and strength in depth, started narrowing the distance at the summit.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Does three consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with most sporting discussions, it hinges completely on your definition of the central word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "elite" actually signify? Is the Birmingham club a major club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is one we might settle.

At a team of this club's size and previous campaign's excellence, a minor crisis seems a reasonable description. During a radio show, ex- striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would trigger alarm. His reply was six. Currently, they are midway to that threshold.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

One can observe clear footballing issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous stalwarts Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Similarly, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a creative player who improves those around him, linking play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who excelled last season—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, the majority of the team is. Yet every one of them share one profound, fresh experience: the tragic death of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Unseen Effect: Grief on the Pitch

It has been just over three months since the tragic passing of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on rapidly, shifting focus to global events, Liverpool's players carry on going to work each day in the absence of their mate.

It is impossible to gauge how each individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a recent match because he lacked energy. But maybe his form is down a small per cent due to the fact he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own experience of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are performing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I went through exactly the same 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 manager when you come to the training complex and you see every day that spot empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to handle a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a popular supporter's show, the memory triggers are ongoing. They hear his song in the first half, they notice his unused peg in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be made and the thought arises: 'Ah, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a matches ago, it signals that all is not normal.

The Limits of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After covering football for two decades, one comes to believe there is a fundamental superficiality in the majority of analysis. We simply do not know how an player is feeling at any given time and how that impacts their performance. Jota's passing is one of the most stark examples. We are aware a terrible thing occurred, and we comprehend the concept of grief. Beyond that lies an immeasurable layer of effect on various individuals at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the squad themselves do not truly understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a brief segment before transitioning to on-field issues. Beyond this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem bizarre to qualify each critique of a footballer with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their private circumstances—be it their parental situation, personal challenges, or relationship difficulties.

A former pro player, Nedum Onuoha, recently talked on radio about how his mother's passing halfway through his career impacted his passion for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he stated. "Some of the highs and the low points that come with it didn't really feel the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Final Point

Therefore, whatever Liverpool accomplish this season—if it's something 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 outcome, 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.