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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star reappeared taking on the starring role recently with two goals in Morocco that sealed Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The star claiming center stage another time. Liverpool must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Unsteady Showings

We see several causes why variable, unimpressive showings have been the frequent pattern defining Liverpool's start to their championship defense, if they recorded seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many summer changes, the coach's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the effect of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, though, if he remain caught in the disruption much longer.

Current Display

Liverpool's boss likely seen the irony of Salah's opening strike against the opponent recently. Drilled first time with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an almost identical location to his expensive error versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first excellent pass in the English top flight. Discussions into his decline and the team's unusual losing run might also have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third away defeat, two due to last-minute winners and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th championship the prior campaign while uncertainty over his career persisted in the background. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and team level from then. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of shots has fallen from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to five, causing a significant decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's chance creation. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats are among the top in Europe and comparable in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Performance

Indicators of team display will worry the coach further. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven matches of the previous term. The current campaign's total is 39. The numbers are reflective of the team's problems as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from distance among the top. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from open play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing foes in the way Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, though the team are the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in the club's history (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it finally gels. Liverpool remain a team of supreme talent, equipped to starting and chasing any rival for the title, but unity is lacking. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only key player to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the heart of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. That extends to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Jota evident on that emotional first game against the Cherries. The impact of Jota's tragedy can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he