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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star returned assuming the starring role last week with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The star claiming the limelight another time. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

We see several factors why unsteady, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern running through the team's beginning to their title defence, if they recorded seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from multiple new signings, the coach's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key start to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further surprise issue, yet, should he stay caught in the turmoil much longer.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the paradox of the player's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Struck immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an nearly the same spot to his costly miss in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

If that right-foot effort been scored moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb setup in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while Slot broods over a third defeat away, two due to late goals and one the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on recently, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in propelling the side towards a historic 20th championship last season while uncertainty over his career persisted in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable decline on an personal and team level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Drop

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this season. The count of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to 5, causing a significant drop in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, against fourteen at the equivalent point of last term, his figures stay among the best in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Output

Measures of collective display will worry the coach further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of last season. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's difficulties as a whole. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their percentage from long range among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Currently we lack as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing opponents in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, though the team are the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's past (46). Think what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of exceptional talent, able to igniting and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is missing. This cannot be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the core of the disruption that has lately affected Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with his grief over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that emotional first game against Bournemouth. The impact of his tragedy can not be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he