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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah reappeared assuming the starring role recently with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight another time. Liverpool require him to stay there.

Causes for Unsteady Showings

There exist numerous factors why variable, lackluster performances have been the common thread defining Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple summer changes, the coach's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually quiet opening to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present Slot with an additional surprise issue, however, should he remain caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Recent Form

The team's head coach likely seen the irony of the player's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Swept directly with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, his eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical spot to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

If that right-foot effort been scored moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be praising the new signing's maiden superb pass in the Premier League. Analyses into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's wait continues while Slot stews over a third defeat away, two due to late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was key in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his career rumbled in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a obvious decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His contribution in terms of scores and assists is reduced 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the first seven league games of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. The count of shots has fallen from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to five, causing a steep decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, against 14 at the equivalent point of last campaign, his stats are among the finest in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Display

Indicators of collective output will worry Slot further. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the first seven matches of the prior campaign. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are reflective of the squad's issues overall. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their share from long range among the top. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing opponents in the way Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, although the team stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the century of points in fewer games than any manager in the club's past (46). Consider what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side remain a squad of supreme skill, equipped to sparking and catching any foe for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the only established member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has recently engulfed the club. This goes to a individual level, with his grief over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he