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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star was back playing the main part last week with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The star stepping on the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many reasons why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the common thread running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from numerous offseason moves, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his atypically subdued start to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could offer the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, though, should he remain caught in the disruption much longer.

Latest Form

The team's manager likely seen the contrast of the player's first goal against Djibouti recently. Drilled first time with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an nearly the same spot to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's first excellent assist in the Premier League. Analyses into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's wait goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he repeated on recently, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a tying 20th crown the prior campaign while uncertainty over his long-term plans lingered in the background. We achieved almost the best out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The team, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Drop

His production in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same point last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His tally of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, causing a significant fall in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 chances created, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his figures are among the top in Europe and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years each.

Team Performance

Metrics of collective performance will worry the coach additionally. He had 76 touches in the opposition box in the opening seven matches of the prior campaign. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the team's problems overall. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play generates the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not beating opponents in the manner Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though the team remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to attain the century of points in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side remain a squad of supreme skill, capable of igniting and reeling in any foe for the championship, but synergy is lacking. This cannot be pinned on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

The player is not the sole key member to suffer a decline, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the heart of the upheaval that has recently affected Liverpool. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The impact of his loss can not be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Changes

Last season, he