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Just a couple of weeks back, Liverpool appeared set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League trophy. Their ability to win without optimal performances felt like the mark of true champions.

However, then the tide shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre performances and began dropping points. At the same time, the North London club, renowned for their resolute defense and strength in depth, started closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Modern Football

Can a trio of consecutive losses represent a collapse? As with most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key term. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "elite" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a major team? What constitutes "major"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, maybe that is one we might settle.

For a club of this club's stature and last season's excellence, a mini setback seems a fair assessment. On a recent radio show, former forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are halfway to that point.

Pinpointing the On-Pitch Issues

There are obvious footballing problems. Integrating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different skill set to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a gifted attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz has reportedly unbalanced the midfield. Observers of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical talent who improves those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than imposing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a number of players who excelled last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are currently underperforming. In fact, most of the team is. Yet they all share one significant, fresh experience: the passing of their teammate and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Effect: Loss on the Field

We are now just over three short months since the devastating loss of their teammate. While the outside world progresses rapidly, shifting focus to global events, Liverpool's players carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their friend.

It is impossible to know how every individual and staff member is dealing on any given day. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match simply he was tired. Or maybe his performance level is down a small percentage points due to the fact he misses his pal.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented insightfully before a recent, making a comparison to his personal experience of the loss of a fellow player, Antonio Puerta, when at Sevilla. "How they are doing this campaign is fantastic," he said of Liverpool. "Particularly after Jota's loss. I went through a very similar thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you arrive at the training complex and you see every day that place empty. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the reason why for me they are performing not good, even better than good. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

Just as explained succinctly on a popular fan podcast, the reminders are ongoing. They hear his chant in the 20th minute, they see his unused locker in the changing room. Even during matches, a pass might be played and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' If Salah was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that everything is far from all right.

The Limits of Punditry and Human Emotion

After covering football for two decades, one realizes there is a inherent superficiality in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is coping at any given time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest examples. We know a terrible thing happened, and we comprehend the nature of sorrow. But further lies an immeasurable layer of effect on different people at the organization. It is highly likely that some of the players personally don't fully understand its effect from one day to the next.

The way the press covers this and how supporters dissect performances is obviously not the primary thing. On a functional basis, bringing up Jota's passing is difficult to accomplish in a brief segment before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this specific event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to preface each critique of a player with an acknowledgment that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family relationships, personal challenges, or relationship problems.

An ex- pro player, Nedum Onuoha, lately talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his career impacted his love for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that come with it no longer felt the same after that." And that was many years into his profession; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three months.

The Final Thought

Therefore, regardless of what Liverpool accomplish this season—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not we omit reference to it every time we discuss their matches, and even if it isn't the 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 said goodbye to a dear friend.