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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star reappeared assuming the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on the limelight another time. The Reds need him to remain there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

We see numerous reasons why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the recurring theme characterizing the team's opening to their league defense, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from multiple offseason moves, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his unusually quiet opening to the term.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could offer the spark for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for more than nine years. Salah will present Slot with an additional unforeseen dilemma, though, should he remain caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Form

The team's head coach must have seen the paradox of the player's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the outside of his stronger foot inside the close post, his eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar spot to his costly miss against Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that attempt been scored shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first excellent setup in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot broods over a third defeat away, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th league title last season while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We extracted almost the best out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear decline on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decline

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a significant drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has held more steady is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, compared with 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his numbers remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Display

Indicators of collective display will trouble the coach more. Salah had 76 touches in the opposition box in the initial seven matches of the previous term. This term's tally is 39. The numbers are indicative of the team's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their share from long range among the highest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from general play generates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing rivals in the way the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a team of exceptional talent, able to igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the sole established player to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to fitness and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has recently affected Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Jota evident on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The impact of Jota's tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he