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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah returned taking on the starring role in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the limelight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Showings

There are numerous factors why variable, unconvincing performances have been the common thread running through Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, if they recorded seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, the late forward's loss; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued beginning to the term.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could deliver the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with another surprise issue, yet, should he stay caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Current Display

The team's head coach must have noticed the paradox of the player's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Swept first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical location to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first superb setup in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's dip and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach stews over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Impact

Salah was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown the prior campaign while speculation over his future persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the maximum out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a obvious decline on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and assists is down 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the initial seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while shots on target have fallen from fifteen to 5, contributing to a steep fall in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With twelve chances created, versus fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his numbers stay among the top in the continent and up in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Performance

Measures of collective display will concern Slot further. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. This season's total is thirty-nine. These figures are indicative of the team's issues in general. Only United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their share from long range among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing opponents in the way Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, although the team are the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to achieve the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of exceptional individual quality, capable of sparking and catching any opponent for the title, but synergy is lacking. That can not be blamed on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only key member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the heart of the upheaval that has recently affected Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The effect of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he