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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward returned taking on the starring role in recent days with a double in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the global tournament. The main man taking the limelight another time. The Merseyside club must have him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

There exist numerous causes why unsteady, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from numerous new signings, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his atypically quiet start to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could deliver the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with an additional unexpected problem, however, should he continue lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Form

Liverpool's boss must have seen the paradox of the player's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

If that right-foot effort been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first superb assist in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, two caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title last season while doubt over his career rumbled in the background. “We brought nearly the utmost out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a obvious decrease on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the same point the previous term, from a combined 8 in the first seven matches of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to 5, contributing to a sharp fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his creativity. With twelve opportunities made, against 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats remain among the finest in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Output

Metrics of team output will worry Slot further. He had 76 touches in the opposition box in the first seven matches of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is 39. The stats are indicative of the squad's issues overall. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from distance among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” the manager said. “Currently we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action generates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing rivals in the fashion the coach planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, though Liverpool stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (46). Consider what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional individual quality, capable of sparking and reeling in any rival for the title, but cohesion is lacking. This cannot be pinned on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Team Challenges

The player is not the only key player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has of late engulfed the club. That goes to a personal level, with his sorrow over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's death can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he