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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the lead part recently with two goals in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's place at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the spotlight yet again. Liverpool require him to remain there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

We see numerous causes why variable, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his atypically quiet opening to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with another surprise issue, yet, if he remain lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Form

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Drilled first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the near post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first superb setup in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's dip and the team's infrequent losing run might as well have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot broods over a third defeat away, two caused by late goals and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he emphasized on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was instrumental in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his career rumbled in the background. We achieved almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His tally of shots has decreased from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has held more steady is his chance creation. With 12 key passes, against fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures stay among the best in the continent and up in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years each.

Team Performance

Measures of team display will worry Slot additionally. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the first seven matches of last season. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's problems in general. Only United and the Gunners have attempted more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's proportion of attempts from within the goal area is the poorest in the division, their share from outside the area among the greatest. The club's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating foes in the manner the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though the team remain the league's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in the club's past (46). Consider what his offense will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional skill, equipped to igniting and reeling in any rival for the title, but synergy is lacking. That cannot be blamed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Issues

The player is not the sole established member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has of late enveloped Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The effect of his loss can neither be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he