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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the starring role recently with a double in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming the spotlight another time. Liverpool require him to remain there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

There exist many causes why variable, unimpressive performances have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's start to their title defence, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from multiple summer changes, the coach's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually quiet opening to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's showpiece occasion could deliver the spark for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will create Slot with an additional unexpected problem, yet, should he continue caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Display

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the irony of the player's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an very similar location to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's first excellent assist in the English top flight. Discussions into his dip and Liverpool's unusual losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search continues while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title the previous term while speculation over his career persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the best out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a clear decline on an individual and team level since. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is lower 50% on the same point the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from 15 to five, causing a sharp decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats are among the finest in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Performance

Indicators of team output will concern the coach more. He had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This term's count is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's difficulties overall. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than them now, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the goal area is the poorest in the top flight, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play creates the most xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing rivals in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, although the team remain the division's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the century of points in fewer games than any manager in the club's past (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. The side are still a team of exceptional skill, capable of igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but unity is absent. That can not be blamed on the new signings alone.

Personal and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole senior player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with his sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he