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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward returned playing the lead part recently with a double in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The main man claiming the spotlight another time. Liverpool require him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many factors why inconsistent, unimpressive showings have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from so many offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's loss; the winger has endured the impact of them all during his atypically subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will create Slot with an additional surprise issue, yet, if he remain caught in the disruption much longer.

Recent Form

The team's head coach must have seen the irony of Salah's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Struck immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the near post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that attempt been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third defeat away, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was key in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. There has been a obvious decrease on an individual and team level from then. The squad, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is reduced half on the corresponding point the previous term, from a combined 8 in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to twelve while shots on target have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his figures remain among the best in the continent and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Output

Metrics of collective output will concern the coach more. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This season's total is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the team's problems in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the top flight, their percentage from outside the area among the top. The club's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play generates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating rivals in the way the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, although Liverpool are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of supreme individual quality, equipped to sparking and chasing any foe for the title, but cohesion is absent. That cannot be blamed on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Collective Problems

The player is not the sole key member to experience a dip, with the midfielder returning to fitness and the defender laboring. But he ends up at the core of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the death of Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he