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It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player taking center stage once more. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Displays

There exist several causes why unsteady, lackluster performances have been the common thread running through Liverpool's start to their championship defense, if they produced seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his unusually quiet start to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for more than nine years. Salah will pose the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, however, should he remain caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's manager likely seen the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his big mistake against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden superb setup in the English top flight. Analyses into his decline and Liverpool's rare losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot fumes over a third away defeat, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the best out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in April. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The squad, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His output in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures stay among the best in the continent and comparable in the group of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Measures of collective display will concern the coach further. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven matches of last season. The current campaign's count is 39. The numbers are indicative of the team's issues overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their ratio from long range among the highest. The club's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we lack as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing foes in the manner the coach envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, although the team remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to attain the century of points in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional talent, capable of igniting and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is absent. That can not be attributed on the recent arrivals alone.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established member to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the center of the upheaval that has of late enveloped Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the passing of Jota obvious on that emotional first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's tragedy can not be quantified nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he