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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back assuming the lead part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The key player stepping on center stage yet again. The Merseyside club require him to remain there.

Reasons for Unsteady Showings

There exist many reasons why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's start to their league defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his atypically low-key start to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the spark for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will create the manager with a further surprise issue, though, if he remain caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Latest Display

The team's manager likely noticed the paradox of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot inside the close post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualification run originated from an nearly the same spot to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first excellent pass in the league. Discussions into Salah's decline and the team's unusual losing streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was key in driving the side towards a tying 20th league title the previous term while uncertainty over his future rumbled in the background. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable decline on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is reduced half on the same stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to twelve while shots on target have declined from fifteen to five, contributing to a sharp decline in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of last term, his numbers stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Output

Measures of collective display will concern Slot more. Salah had 76 touches in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. This season's count is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the team's difficulties overall. Only United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the top flight, their percentage from distance among the top. Liverpool's proportion of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net 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. “Now we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action produces the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing foes in the manner the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though the team are the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional skill, able to sparking and catching any rival for the title, but unity is lacking. That can not be pinned on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only key player to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the turmoil that has of late affected the club. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the passing of Jota clear on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of his death can not be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he