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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward reappeared taking on the lead part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking center stage once more. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Unsteady Displays

There are several reasons why variable, unimpressive displays have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with a further surprise issue, however, should he stay lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Latest Performance

The team's head coach likely recognized the irony of the player's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the exterior of his left foot into the close post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an nearly the same location to his costly miss in the Chelsea match prior to the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been scored shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach broods over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple caused by late goals and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was key in propelling the side towards a historic 20th crown the previous term while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We extracted almost the utmost out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and team level from then. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Drop

His output in terms of scores and setups is lower half on the same point last season, from a total 8 in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has decreased from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, leading to a steep fall in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his stats remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the group of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Performance

Measures of collective output will worry the coach more. He had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the team's issues as a whole. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from within the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the highest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we lack as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action generates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating rivals in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though Liverpool remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to reach the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. The side are still a squad of outstanding talent, capable of igniting and reeling in any foe for the title, but cohesion is absent. That can not be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the sole established player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has recently affected the club. This extends to a individual level, with his grief over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he