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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back assuming the lead part in recent days with a brace in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The star claiming center stage another time. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Causes for Variable Showings

We see several factors why inconsistent, lackluster displays have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's start to their league defense, if they produced a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple new signings, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his atypically subdued start to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could deliver the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with an additional unforeseen dilemma, yet, should he stay lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Form

Liverpool's head coach must have noticed the contrast of Salah's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, his eighth goal of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an very similar spot to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach fumes over a third defeat away, two inflicted by late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a obvious decrease on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower half on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the first seven matches of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this term. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to five, causing a significant drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his creativity. With twelve chances created, compared with 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his numbers stay among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Metrics of collective output will worry the coach additionally. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. This term's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the squad's issues as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have attempted more shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the Premier League, their percentage from long range among the highest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't beating foes in the manner Slot imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, while the team remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the century of points in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of exceptional individual quality, equipped to sparking and reeling in any foe for the title, but unity is missing. That can not be blamed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the only key player to experience a decline, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender laboring. But he ends up at the core of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he