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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the lead part recently with a double in Morocco that secured Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. The Reds require him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

There are numerous causes why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern characterizing the team's start to their league defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his unusually low-key start to the term.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could offer the catalyst for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, however, should he continue caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Latest Form

The team's manager likely recognized the contrast of Salah's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled first time with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an very similar location to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first superb pass in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's unusual defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's search continues while the coach stews over a third away defeat, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was crucial in driving the side towards a tying 20th league title the previous term while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an personal and team level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is reduced 50% on the same point the prior campaign, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His number of attempts has dropped from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, causing a steep decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With 12 key passes, versus 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his figures are among the finest in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Indicators of team performance will trouble the coach further. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of the previous term. This season's count is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties in general. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the top. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from general play generates the most xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating rivals in the way Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while the team are the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to reach the century of points in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of exceptional talent, equipped to starting and reeling in any foe for the title, but cohesion is lacking. This cannot be pinned on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the sole established member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. That goes to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's loss can neither be measured nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he