🔗 Share this article

It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The key player taking center stage yet again. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Performances

There exist several reasons why variable, unimpressive displays have been the recurring theme running through the team's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many new signings, the coach's search for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his unusually low-key beginning to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the spark for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with an additional unexpected problem, though, if he continue lost in the disruption much longer.

Latest Form

The team's manager must have seen the contrast of the player's first goal against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical spot to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been converted moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's first excellent pass in the Premier League. Analyses into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might as well have been postponed. Rather, the midfielder's search goes on while Slot stews over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans lingered in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a obvious decline on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the first seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to five, leading to a steep fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is his creativity. With 12 key passes, compared with fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats stay among the best in the continent and up in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Measures of collective performance will trouble the coach additionally. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of last season. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's problems in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the greatest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we lack as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting foes in the fashion the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, although the team are the league's third-best scorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of exceptional skill, capable of igniting and catching any rival for the title, but cohesion is missing. This cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals only.

Personal and Collective Problems

The player is not the only key player to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has recently engulfed Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Changes

In the prior campaign, he