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Just a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool appeared destined to secure back-to-back Premier League championships and potentially another Champions League trophy. The team's ability to win despite not optimal performances felt like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the momentum shifted. The Anfield side continued with mediocre performances and started losing matches. Meanwhile, the North London club, known for their stubborn backline and strength in depth, began closing the gap at the summit.

Defining a Crisis in Today's Game

Does three straight losses constitute a crisis? As with many sporting discussions, it depends entirely on your definition of the key word. Was the United midfielder elite? What does "world class" actually signify? Are Aston Villa a major club? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit back? Well, maybe that is one we might settle.

For a club of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor crisis seems a fair description. On a recent radio show, former striker Neil Mellor was asked how many defeats in a row would cause panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Problems

One can observe obvious footballing issues. Integrating recent additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a distinct style to departed key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, creates a difficulty. Likewise, incorporating a talented playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga note that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, connecting play effortlessly rather than forcing himself upon the game.

Additionally, a host of players who shone last campaign—including Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the squad are. Yet every one of them share one significant, recent event: the tragic death of their colleague and companion, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Loss on the Field

It has been just over three months since the tragic loss of their friend. While the outside world progresses quickly, diverting focus to other matters, the club's players carry on training and playing day after day without their friend.

This is not possible to know how every player and staff member is dealing from one day to the next. There is a great deal of speculation. Maybe Salah didn't track back in a particular match because he was tired. Or maybe his form is down a few percentage points because he misses his friend.

The London club's head coach, Enzo Maresca, commented eloquently before a recent, drawing a parallel to his own situation of the loss of a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are doing this season is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's tragedy. I lived exactly the same experience when I was a player two decades past."

"It is difficult for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the coach when you come to the training complex and you find daily that place empty. So you must be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, but exceptionally well. Because they are trying to deal with a situation that is not easy."

As explained well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They hear his song in the first half, they notice his empty locker in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a pass might be made and the realization arises: 'Oh, Jota would have reached that.' When the Egyptian was seen crying in front of the Kop a few games ago, it signals that everything is far from normal.

The Boundaries of Punditry and Human Emotion

After reporting on football for twenty years, one realizes there is a fundamental lack of depth in the majority of analysis. We genuinely do not know how an player is feeling at any specific time and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the most stark illustrations. We are aware a tragic thing occurred, and we understand the nature of grief. But further lies an immeasurable layer of impact on various individuals at the club. It is very possible that some of the squad personally do not truly understand its effect from one day to the next.

How the media reports on this and how supporters analyze displays is obviously far from the most important thing. On a functional level, mentioning Jota's passing is challenging to accomplish in a short soundbite before moving on to tactical concerns. Outside of this particular tragedy and outside Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify every criticism of a footballer with an admission that we know so little about their personal lives—be it their family situation, health challenges, or marital difficulties.

A former professional footballer, Nedum Onuoha, recently spoke on radio about how his mother's death midway through his playing days impacted his love for the game. "I didn't enjoy football as much," he said. "The highs and the lows that come with it didn't really feel the same any more." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been just three short months.

The Concluding Thought

So, whatever Liverpool accomplish in the coming months—be it success or if it's nothing—whether or not 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 should not forget that a short time ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they said goodbye to a friend.