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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward returned taking on the main part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking center stage once more. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Showings

We see many factors why inconsistent, unconvincing showings have been the recurring theme characterizing Liverpool's start to their title defence, whether they achieved a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's showpiece occasion could deliver the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will create the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, yet, if he continue lost in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Display

The team's head coach must have noticed the contrast of the player's initial score against Djibouti recently. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, his eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical spot to his costly miss in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been finished shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent setup in the league. Discussions into Salah's dip and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot fumes over a third defeat away, a couple due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he repeated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th crown last season while uncertainty over his career rumbled in the background. “We brought nearly the maximum out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

His output in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the same stage last season, from a combined 8 in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. The count of shots has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, leading to a significant fall in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is his playmaking. With 12 chances created, versus 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his numbers stay among the top in Europe and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective display will trouble Slot additionally. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of the previous term. This season's count is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the team's issues overall. Only United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than them now, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action produces the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not beating foes in the manner the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, though Liverpool remain the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in fewer games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. The side remain a squad of exceptional talent, capable of igniting and chasing any opponent for the title, but synergy is absent. That cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the sole key player to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has lately affected Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with his sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's loss can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Changes

In the prior campaign, he