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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star reappeared taking on the starring role recently with a brace in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's spot at the global tournament. The main man stepping on the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club require him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

There are many factors why unsteady, unimpressive displays have been the common thread defining Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could provide the catalyst for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for almost a decade. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, however, if he continue caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's head coach must have noticed the irony of Salah's first goal against Djibouti recently. Struck immediately with the outside of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been converted moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb assist in the league. Analyses into Salah's dip and the team's unusual defeat streak might as well have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, two inflicted by late goals and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he repeated on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title last season while speculation over his future persisted in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and setups is down 50% on the same point last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this term. His number of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to five, leading to a steep decline in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve chances created, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his figures are among the best in the continent and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Output

Indicators of collective display will worry the coach more. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the initial seven matches of last season. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are reflective of the squad's problems in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them now, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their percentage from long range among the top. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not beating rivals in the manner the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, while the team stay the division's third-best scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side are still a team of outstanding talent, able to igniting and chasing any rival for the title, but unity is missing. This cannot be pinned on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole established member to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to fitness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the heart of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Jota evident on that emotional first game against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Adjustments

Previously, he