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It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah returned taking on the lead part last week with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The key player taking center stage another time. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Showings

There are several reasons why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's beginning to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his unusually subdued beginning to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the impetus for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present the manager with an additional unexpected problem, however, if he continue lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Latest Display

Liverpool's boss must have seen the paradox of the player's initial score against Djibouti recently. Swept directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualification run originated from an nearly the same location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first excellent assist in the league. Discussions into his drop and Liverpool's rare losing run might also have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a tying 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the best out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level since. The squad, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

His production in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same point the prior campaign, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. His tally of shots has fallen from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, against fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Display

Metrics of team output will concern the coach further. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven matches of the previous term. The current campaign's total is 39. The stats are indicative of the squad's issues in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from within the goal area is the lowest in the Premier League, their percentage from long range among the highest. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Now we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from open play creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not beating foes in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, while Liverpool stay the division's third-best scorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point total in less games than any coach in the club's past (46). Imagine what his forward line will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of outstanding skill, capable of igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but unity is absent. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits alone.

Individual and Collective Problems

The player is not the only established player to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to fitness and the defender struggling. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has of late affected the club. This applies to a individual level, with his sorrow over the loss of Jota clear on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can not be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he