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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star returned assuming the starring role last week with a brace in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The key player claiming center stage yet again. The Reds require him to remain there.

Factors for Variable Displays

We see numerous reasons why unsteady, unimpressive showings have been the common thread running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, if they recorded seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could deliver the spark for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with another unexpected problem, though, if he remain caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Recent Display

The team's manager likely recognized the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Drilled immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an almost identical spot to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

If that shot with his right been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's drop and the team's rare losing streak might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach fumes over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th crown last season while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We extracted almost the best out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in April. There has been a noticeable decline on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Statistical Drop

His production in terms of scores and setups is down half on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have dropped from 15 to 5, causing a sharp drop in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his numbers are among the top in Europe and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Indicators of collective output will trouble the coach further. He had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the first seven fixtures of last season. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the squad's difficulties in general. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the goal area is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting rivals in the way Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, though the team are the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to reach the century of points in less games than any manager in the club's history (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of exceptional individual quality, capable of igniting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is absent. This can not be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to form and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has of late enveloped the club. This goes to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Jota obvious on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he