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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the starring role last week with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on the limelight yet again. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

We see numerous factors why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the recurring theme defining the team's start to their championship defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The upheaval from multiple offseason moves, the coach's search for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his unusually quiet opening to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could deliver the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with another unexpected problem, yet, should he stay lost in the upheaval much longer.

Recent Display

Liverpool's manager must have noticed the paradox of Salah's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Drilled immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, his eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an very similar spot to his expensive error against Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that attempt been converted shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's maiden excellent assist in the English top flight. Analyses into his drop and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while the coach fumes over a third loss on the road, two caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was key in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while doubt over his career lingered in the background. “We brought almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable decrease on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is lower 50% on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from 15 to 5, causing a significant decline in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, compared with 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Measures of collective display will trouble Slot further. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the first seven matches of the prior campaign. This season's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the team's problems in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them now, but the team's proportion of attempts from inside the goal area is the poorest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we lack as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting rivals in the manner Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed this summer, although the team stay the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of supreme talent, able to sparking and catching any opponent for the championship, but unity is missing. That can not be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole senior player to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed Liverpool. This goes to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he