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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star reappeared taking on the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The star stepping on center stage another time. The Merseyside club require him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Performances

There are several factors why inconsistent, unimpressive showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their championship defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his unusually low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the cause of a record 16 strikes in 17 outings 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. The attacker will pose Slot with another unexpected problem, yet, should he stay caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's boss must have seen the contrast of Salah's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept directly with the outside of his stronger foot into the near post, his eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical location to his costly miss in the Chelsea match before the international break.

Had that shot with his right been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first excellent assist in the league. Analyses into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive loss on the road, two inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the prior campaign while speculation over his career rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a obvious drop-off on an personal and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of scores and assists is down 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to 5, causing a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his chance creation. With twelve chances created, against fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats remain among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective performance will worry the coach further. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the first seven league games of the previous term. This term's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's issues overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the top flight, their share from distance among the top. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play generates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating rivals in the manner the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired recently, while Liverpool stay the division's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (46). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a squad of exceptional individual quality, equipped to igniting and chasing any foe for the championship, but cohesion is absent. This can not be pinned on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole senior member to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the turmoil that has lately enveloped the club. This extends to a personal level, with his sadness over the death of Jota clear on that poignant opening night against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's loss can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Strategic Changes

In the prior campaign, he