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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward reappeared assuming the main part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The key player claiming center stage once more. The Reds must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There are several factors why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the common thread running through the team's start to their title defence, whether they achieved a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many summer changes, the coach's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has experienced the impact of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could deliver the spark for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, however, should he continue caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Recent Form

The team's boss must have noticed the contrast of Salah's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort originated from an nearly the same spot to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first superb pass in the English top flight. Discussions into his drop and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two inflicted by late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was key in driving Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a noticeable decline on an individual and collective level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and setups is down half on the same stage the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a steep drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's creativity. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his numbers are among the best in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective performance will worry Slot more. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are reflective of the team's problems overall. Only United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their share from long range among the top. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we primarily 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. “Currently we have not seen as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting opponents in the manner the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, while Liverpool remain the league's equal third-top scorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in the club's past (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. The side are still a team of exceptional skill, equipped to starting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is absent. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole established player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he ends up at the heart of the disruption that has recently enveloped Liverpool. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Jota clear on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of his loss can not be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he