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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward reappeared playing the main part in recent days with a double in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The star taking center stage yet again. The Reds require him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many factors why variable, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, the coach's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; Salah has experienced the effect of them all during his atypically quiet start to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for over nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, however, if he stay lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's boss likely noticed the contrast of the player's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Swept first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the front post, his eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an nearly the same location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

If that right-foot effort been converted moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's first sublime assist in the Premier League. Analyses into his drop and Liverpool's rare losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's search continues while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, two due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

Salah was instrumental in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown the prior campaign while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, causing a steep decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers are among the best in Europe and up in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Output

Measures of team output will worry Slot additionally. Salah had 76 touches in the opposition box in the opening seven league games of the previous term. This season's total is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties in general. Only United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of attempts from within the goal area is the smallest in the division, their ratio from long range among the greatest. The club's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play produces the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating foes in the fashion Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, though the team stay the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in fewer games than any boss in the club's past (46). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of exceptional individual quality, able to starting and catching any rival for the championship, but unity is missing. That cannot be pinned on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only established member to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the upheaval that has lately engulfed Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with his grief over the loss of Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The effect of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Last season, he