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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the main part last week with a brace in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man claiming center stage once more. The Merseyside club require him to keep that position.

Factors for Unsteady Performances

There are many reasons why variable, unimpressive performances have been the recurring theme running through the team's opening to their championship defense, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple new signings, the coach's search for his best XI, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet start to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's big match could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, yet, should he stay caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Latest Display

The team's manager likely seen the paradox of the player's initial score against the opponent in midweek. Swept first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualification run came from an almost identical location to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the international break.

If that attempt been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first excellent assist in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's dip and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot stews over a third defeat away, two caused by late goals and one the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship last season while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. “We brought nearly the best out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a clear decline on an personal and collective level since. The squad, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the same stage last season, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a steep drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his stats remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of collective performance will worry the coach more. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven league games of the prior campaign. This term's count is thirty-nine. These figures are indicative of the squad's issues overall. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but the team's rate of attempts from within the goal area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from long range among the greatest. The club's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Now we lack as numerous moments of genius and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from general play creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing foes in the manner Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while the team remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point total in fewer games than any boss in the club's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a squad of supreme individual quality, equipped to igniting and catching any opponent for the title, but cohesion is missing. This can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole key player to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. This extends to a individual level, with his grief over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The impact of his tragedy can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he