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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back taking on the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The main man taking the limelight another time. The Merseyside club require him to remain there.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

There exist several reasons why variable, unconvincing showings have been the common thread running through Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The upheaval from numerous summer changes, the coach's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his atypically subdued opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could offer the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will create Slot with a further surprise issue, however, should he stay caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Current Display

The team's manager likely noticed the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualification run came from an almost identical spot to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

If that right-foot effort been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime pass in the league. Discussions into Salah's dip and the team's rare losing run might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the prior campaign while doubt over his future persisted in the background. “We brought almost the maximum out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a obvious drop-off on an individual and collective level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same stage last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp drop in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his figures remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Output

Measures of team display will worry the coach additionally. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the first seven league games of the previous term. The current campaign's total is 39. These figures are indicative of the squad's problems overall. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from within the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their ratio from long range among the top. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing opponents in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though Liverpool stay the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any boss in the club's past (46). Imagine what his forward line will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, able to igniting and catching any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. This can not be attributed on the new signings alone.

Personal and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only key member to suffer a decline, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has lately affected the club. That goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the death of Jota obvious on that emotional opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he