🔗 Share this article

It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the starring role in recent days with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the 2026 World Cup. The star taking the spotlight yet again. The Reds need him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Displays

There exist many causes why variable, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his atypically quiet start to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could offer the spark for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. The attacker will create Slot with an additional unforeseen dilemma, though, if he remain lost in the disruption for an extended period.

Recent Display

Liverpool's boss likely noticed the paradox of Salah's initial score against the opponent recently. Drilled first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, his eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar spot to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising the new signing's first excellent assist in the English top flight. Discussions into his decline and the team's unusual defeat streak might as well have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while the coach fumes over a third loss on the road, a couple inflicted by late goals and another the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in propelling the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship the prior campaign while speculation over his career lingered in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, causing a steep decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's creativity. With twelve chances created, versus fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his numbers stay among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Display

Indicators of collective output will concern Slot further. Salah had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the first seven league games of last season. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's issues as a whole. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from distance among the top. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as numerous sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from general play creates the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting rivals in the fashion the coach planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, while Liverpool remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a team of supreme talent, equipped to starting and catching any opponent for the title, but synergy is lacking. That cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals only.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the sole established player to experience a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has of late affected Liverpool. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the death of Jota evident on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The influence of his death can not be quantified nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Previously, he