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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part recently with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming the limelight once more. The Reds need him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There are many causes why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the common thread characterizing the team's opening to their title defence, if they recorded seven straight victories or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from multiple new signings, the coach's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, though, should he stay caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Current Display

Liverpool's boss must have noticed the irony of Salah's initial score against the opponent recently. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the near post, his eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run came from an nearly the same position to his costly miss in the Chelsea match before the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been scored moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was instrumental in propelling the side towards a tying 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and assists is down half on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the initial seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a significant decline in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is his chance creation. With twelve key passes, against fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his stats remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Output

Metrics of collective output will worry Slot further. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven league games of the prior campaign. This season's total is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's issues as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their percentage from long range among the greatest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Now we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing rivals in the way the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, though Liverpool are the league's equal third-top scorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to attain the 100-point total in less games than any manager in the club's past (46). Think what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a squad of supreme talent, equipped to starting and chasing any rival for the championship, but unity is missing. This can not be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only key member to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has lately affected the club. This extends to a personal level, with his sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can neither be measured nor ignored.

Strategic Shifts

Previously, he