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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part last week with a brace in Morocco that confirmed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man stepping on the spotlight yet again. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Displays

We see many reasons why variable, unimpressive performances have been the common thread defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, if they recorded seven straight victories or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his atypically quiet start to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could provide the catalyst for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will present the manager with another unexpected problem, though, should he stay lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Form

The team's boss likely recognized the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Drilled directly with the outside of his stronger foot into the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an very similar position to his expensive error against Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been scored moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime pass in the English top flight. Discussions into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach broods over a third loss on the road, two inflicted by late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was instrumental in propelling the side towards a tying 20th crown the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We achieved almost the best out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and assists is reduced 50% on the same point the previous term, from a combined 8 in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this season. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have fallen from 15 to 5, contributing to a significant drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has held more steady is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, versus 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his figures stay among the finest in the continent and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Output

Measures of collective display will concern Slot more. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the opening seven league games of the previous term. This season's total is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's problems overall. Just United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from long range among the greatest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating rivals in the fashion the coach envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though the team are the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of supreme individual quality, capable of sparking and reeling in any rival for the title, but unity is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals alone.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the sole established player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the heart of the upheaval that has of late enveloped Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Previously, he