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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the starring role recently with a brace in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's place at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the limelight another time. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Performances

We see several causes why variable, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, the late forward's passing; Salah has experienced the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the term.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further surprise issue, yet, should he remain caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's boss must have noticed the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth score of the national team's qualification run was from an almost identical location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's first superb assist in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might also have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while Slot stews over a third away defeat, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as he reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling the side towards a historic 20th championship last season while speculation over his career persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in April. There has been a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to 5, causing a significant fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his stats are among the top in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Display

Measures of collective output will worry Slot more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. This term's count is 39. The stats are indicative of the squad's difficulties overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's percentage 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 rate of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly scored from an individual brilliance 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 many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play produces the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing rivals in the manner Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, though the team stay the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Think what his offense will do when it clicks. The side are still a team of outstanding skill, capable of igniting and catching any rival for the title, but cohesion is missing. That can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only established member to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the core of the disruption that has of late affected the club. That applies to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he