🔗 Share this article

It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the lead part recently with a double in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The star taking the spotlight another time. The Reds require him to remain there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

There exist several factors why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the recurring theme defining the team's opening to their league defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from so many summer changes, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued start to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will pose Slot with another unexpected problem, though, if he stay caught in the disruption much longer.

Recent Form

Liverpool's manager likely noticed the paradox of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti last Wednesday. Struck first time with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, his eighth score of the national team's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first excellent pass in the English top flight. Discussions into his dip and the team's unusual losing streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's search persists while Slot stews over a third away defeat, a couple caused by late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was key in propelling the side towards a historic 20th league title the previous term while uncertainty over his career rumbled in the background. We achieved nearly the best out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and team level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is lower half on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have dropped from fifteen to five, leading to a sharp drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With 12 key passes, compared with fourteen at the comparable period of last term, his stats stay among the top in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Metrics of collective performance will concern Slot further. Salah had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the first seven league games of last season. This season's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's issues in general. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their percentage from long range among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting rivals in the fashion the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired this summer, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to reach the 100-point total in less games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Think what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional individual quality, equipped to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the title, but unity is missing. That can not be attributed on the summer recruits alone.

Individual and Collective Issues

The player is not the sole key member to experience a decline, with the midfielder returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the center of the disruption that has recently affected the club. That extends to a personal level, with his sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's loss can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he