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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the lead part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The key player claiming center stage yet again. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

There are several reasons why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically low-key opening to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could provide the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will create the manager with an additional unexpected problem, however, if he remain lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Current Performance

Liverpool's head coach likely recognized the irony of the player's initial score against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot into the front post, his eighth score of the national team's qualifying effort came from an almost identical location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that right-foot effort been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and Liverpool's rare losing streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown the prior campaign while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We achieved almost the best out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level since. The team, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and setups is lower half on the same point the previous term, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, against 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his numbers are among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective performance will trouble Slot further. Salah had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the initial seven fixtures of the previous term. This term's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the team's difficulties as a whole. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the Premier League, their ratio from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting opponents in the way Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, though the team stay the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the century of points in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of exceptional skill, capable of starting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. That cannot be pinned on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Team Challenges

The player is not the sole established member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to form and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the core of the upheaval that has lately affected Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Jota clear on that heartfelt season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of his loss can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Changes

Last season, he