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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the main part last week with a double in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The star taking the limelight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Displays

There exist numerous factors why inconsistent, lackluster displays have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many new signings, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, the late forward's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, yet, should he stay lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's boss must have noticed the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti recently. Drilled directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical position to his costly miss in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first excellent setup in the Premier League. Discussions into his decline and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been postponed. Rather, the midfielder's search persists while the coach stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple caused by late goals and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown the prior campaign while doubt over his future lingered in the backdrop. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an individual 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 assists is lower 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. The count of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from fifteen to five, contributing to a significant decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 chances created, compared with fourteen at the equivalent point of last campaign, his figures are among the best in Europe and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Display

Metrics of collective output will concern Slot additionally. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of the previous term. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's issues as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from live action produces the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting opponents in the manner the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, although Liverpool are the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, equipped to igniting and chasing any foe for the title, but synergy is lacking. That cannot be attributed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole senior member to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to fitness and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the center of the upheaval that has of late affected the club. That applies to a personal level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's death can not be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he