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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared assuming the lead part recently with a brace in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking center stage yet again. The Reds need him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many reasons why inconsistent, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern defining Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple new signings, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could offer the impetus for the origin of a record 16 strikes in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will create the manager with another surprise issue, however, if he remain lost in the disruption much longer.

Latest Performance

The team's manager likely recognized the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti in midweek. Swept immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualification run was from an almost identical location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that shot with his right been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the Premier League. Discussions into his drop and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's search continues while the coach broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and collective level since. The squad, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Statistical Decline

His contribution in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has decreased from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, causing a sharp drop in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the comparable period of last term, his stats are among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Display

Measures of collective display will trouble the coach further. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven league games of the prior campaign. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the team's problems as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from long range among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly scored from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Currently we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from open play produces the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing opponents in the fashion the coach planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, though the team are the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme skill, capable of starting and chasing any foe for the title, but cohesion is lacking. That cannot be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the only key member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has recently affected the club. That goes to a personal level, with his grief over the death of Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The impact of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he