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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the lead part last week with two goals in Casablanca that secured Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking the limelight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Reasons for Variable Performances

There are many causes why variable, unconvincing showings have been the common thread characterizing the team's opening to their title defence, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, the late forward's passing; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for almost a decade. The attacker will pose Slot with a further surprise issue, though, if he stay caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Recent Form

The team's head coach likely recognized the paradox of the player's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Swept immediately with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical position to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden sublime assist in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been delayed. Rather, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot fumes over a third loss on the road, two inflicted by late goals and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. “We brought almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to 5, contributing to a sharp decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers stay among the top in Europe and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Output

Indicators of team performance will concern Slot further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This season's total is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's problems in general. Just United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's percentage of attempts from within the goal area is the poorest in the division, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting opponents in the manner Slot imagined when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, while Liverpool are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding talent, equipped to igniting and reeling in any foe for the championship, but cohesion is missing. That cannot be attributed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has lately enveloped Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with his sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he