Liverpool has had an inconsistent form this season. As the defending champions, several concerns have been expressed by pundits over the once unbeatable “Reds” having lost their last five matches out of the 11 matches played so far.

In their last five matches, Liverpool lost 3–0 to Manchester City, beat Real Madrid 1–0, defeated Aston Villa 2–0, suffered a 3–0 Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, and were edged 3–2 by Brentford.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson admitted this week he had been "in bits" over Jota's passing in the build-up to Scotland's 4-2 win over Denmark, which sealed their qualification for next year's World Cup.

The 31-year-old's emotional interview has prompted discussion over how much Liverpool's disappointing run of results should be attributed to the effects of grief.

While the head coach, Arne Slot, has acknowledged the possible impact of the death of a forward (attacker), he insists that that is not the reason for his team’s current form. According to him, it is "impossible to measure" the impact of Diogo Jota's death on his team, but he insists he would never want the tragedy to be used as an excuse for the club's recent poor form.

Responding to questions about whether his team has been judged fairly concerning their dip in form to Jota’s death, Slot said, "We are always judged, sometimes fair, sometimes not fair. But I saw the interview live, and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal. It is good for us to remember him at all times. It is possible because of the person and player he was. It is impossible to measure what it does to the players and to our results. The last thing I would do is use it as an excuse”.

He reiterated, "I don't know. What I do know is that we miss the player, that is 100% sure, and we miss the person, but I cannot measure the impact that has on our results. That is impossible for me to say, and we will never use it as an excuse."

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says the club is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of Diogo Jota, admitting that while the team deeply misses the forward on and off the pitch, his family is facing a far greater pain than anyone at the club.

“At this moment in time, I always think about how it must feel for his wife and his children. Because it is so, so, so much harder for them than it is for us. But that we will miss the player and the person is completely clear. Now we play Nottingham Forest, last season there we were 1-0 down and it only took him [Jota] one minute to score the equaliser. So now I am talking about the player that we miss for sure. That we also miss him as a person is also clear," he noted.

Arne Slot, however, gave a list of players who are likely to either miss or feature in the Premier League champions.

"Andy Robertson didn't train yet, but he will be with us today. Alisson [Becker] trained last week and this wee,k so he will be able to play tomorrow if things work out well today. If he's ready to play, he will start. But we do have some issues after the international break, unfortunately. Conor Bradley is not able to play and Florian Wirtz is not able to play. That's far from ideal," Slot said.

In their last match against Brentford, they suffered a 2-3 loss, prompting a reaction from former Man Utd forward and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Rooney.

Speaking in the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, the five-time Premier League winner said the body language of captain Virgil van Dijk and talismanic forward Mohamed Salah during Liverpool’s troubled spell was a “big concern”.

He believes that the duo have signed a contract extension with the club, but their posture this season does not reflect that of good leadership, one that is in charge, citing that as one of the reasons behind the team's struggles.

“This is a time when the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah they’ve signed new deals, but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season. I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that team, and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else,” he said.

On his part, the team is clearly having a hard time overcoming their struggles, as they never anticipated such results, which have now placed them seventh in the Premier League table. He has called on the leadership of Liverpool to treat the team’s current form with urgency

The Reds have lost four consecutive Premier League matches and are now seven points behind leaders Arsenal.

“No one has seen this coming; it’s hit them quick, it’s hit them hard, and I think they’re struggling to find a way out of it,” he added.

“I might be wrong on this, but if I were a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.”