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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared assuming the starring role in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking center stage yet again. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

We see several factors why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from so many offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has felt the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet start to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could deliver the spark for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will pose Slot with another unexpected problem, though, if he continue caught in the disruption much longer.

Recent Display

The team's head coach likely noticed the contrast of the player's opening strike against Djibouti recently. Struck first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the near post, his eighth score of Egypt's qualification run was from an nearly the same position to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

Had that shot with his right been scored shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first superb setup in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach stews over a third defeat away, a couple caused by last-minute winners and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th crown the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the best out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a noticeable decrease on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and assists is down half on the corresponding point last season, from a combined eight in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has dropped from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, contributing to a sharp decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, against fourteen at the equivalent point of last term, his stats stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Display

Indicators of team display will trouble Slot further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of last season. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the poorest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we lack as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play creates the most xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not beating foes in the fashion Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, although the team stay the division's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. The side remain a team of supreme individual quality, capable of sparking and reeling in any foe for the championship, but unity is lacking. This can not be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the only senior player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has lately engulfed Liverpool. That goes to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he