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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star was back taking on the lead part last week with a double in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Variable Displays

There are several factors why unsteady, lackluster performances have been the common thread running through Liverpool's opening to their title defence, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet start to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could provide the spark for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will present the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, though, should he remain lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's manager likely noticed the paradox of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an nearly the same location to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first sublime setup in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's drop and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been delayed. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was key in driving Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a obvious decline on an individual and collective level from then. The team, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His production in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His tally of shots has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, causing a significant drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers are among the finest in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team output will concern the coach more. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the initial seven league games of last season. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are reflective of the squad's difficulties in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the highest. The club's proportion of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we lack as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action generates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating opponents in the way the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the century of points in less games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a squad of exceptional talent, equipped to sparking and catching any foe for the championship, but unity is missing. This cannot be pinned on the new signings only.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the only senior player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he finds himself at the center of the disruption that has of late engulfed the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's death can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he