🔗 Share this article

It's been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared playing the lead part recently with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club require him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Displays

There are several factors why unsteady, unconvincing performances have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually low-key start to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the catalyst for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with a further surprise issue, yet, if he continue lost in the disruption for an extended period.

Latest Form

Liverpool's boss must have noticed the paradox of the player's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar spot to his expensive error in the Chelsea match before the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb assist in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and the team's infrequent losing streak might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's search continues while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, a couple caused by late goals and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We achieved almost the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear drop-off on an personal and collective level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Drop

His production in terms of scores and setups is reduced half on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined 8 in the initial seven fixtures of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from 15 to 5, leading to a steep decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his stats remain among the finest in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Performance

Indicators of team output will concern Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the first seven league games of the previous term. This season's tally is 39. These figures are reflective of the squad's issues in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the goal area is the lowest in the Premier League, their share from distance among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing foes in the fashion the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though the team remain the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for Slot to reach the century of points in less games than any manager in the club's history (46). Think what his forward line will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a team of exceptional talent, equipped to sparking and catching any foe for the title, but synergy is missing. This cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the sole established member to experience a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the center of the upheaval that has recently affected Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with his grief over the loss of Jota clear on that emotional first game against Bournemouth. The effect of his tragedy can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he