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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the starring role last week with a brace in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The key player taking the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Variable Displays

We see several reasons why inconsistent, lackluster displays have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from numerous new signings, the coach's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his unusually low-key start to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could offer the spark for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for almost a decade. The attacker will create Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, yet, should he remain lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's manager likely recognized the contrast of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Struck immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the front post, his eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden superb pass in the Premier League. Inquests into Salah's decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might as well have been delayed. Instead, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach broods over a third defeat away, two due to last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was crucial in propelling the side towards a historic 20th league title the previous term while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We extracted almost the utmost out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is down half on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while shots on target have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp fall in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With twelve chances created, against 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers remain among the finest in the continent and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Display

Measures of team display will concern Slot more. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of last season. The current campaign's tally is 39. These figures are reflective of the squad's issues overall. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the highest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play produces the highest xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing rivals in the manner Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, though Liverpool remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for Slot to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a team of supreme talent, able to starting and reeling in any foe for the title, but unity is absent. This cannot be blamed on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only established player to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to form and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That goes to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Jota obvious on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The effect of his death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he