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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back taking on the lead part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

We see several factors why inconsistent, unimpressive displays have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's opening to their title defence, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, the late forward's passing; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. Salah will create Slot with an additional surprise issue, though, should he stay caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Current Performance

The team's manager must have recognized the contrast of Salah's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an nearly the same location to his big mistake against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Analyses into his drop and the team's rare losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while Slot fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, two caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was instrumental in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his future rumbled in the backdrop. We achieved almost the best out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in April. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from 15 to 5, contributing to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the equivalent point of the previous season, his stats are among the best in Europe and comparable in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Display

Measures of team performance will concern the coach further. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of the prior campaign. This season's total is 39. These figures are reflective of the team's difficulties overall. Just United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the top. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we haven’t had as numerous sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from live action produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting opponents in the manner the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed this summer, although the team remain the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme skill, able to igniting and chasing any foe for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. This can not be attributed on the recent arrivals alone.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the sole key member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has lately enveloped Liverpool. This applies to a individual level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can not be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he