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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the starring role in recent days with a brace in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's place at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the limelight once more. The Reds require him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Showings

There exist numerous causes why unsteady, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern running through the team's start to their championship defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The upheaval from numerous new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, the late forward's passing; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could deliver the catalyst for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. Salah will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, however, if he continue lost in the upheaval for an extended period.

Current Display

Liverpool's boss likely recognized the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the outside of his left foot into the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort was from an almost identical location to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent assist in the league. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach stews over a third consecutive defeat away, two caused by last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decline

His production in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while shots on target have dropped from 15 to five, causing a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers are among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Performance

Metrics of collective display will worry the coach more. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven league games of last season. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's problems as a whole. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's rate of attempts from within the goal area is the poorest in the division, their ratio from distance among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play generates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing foes in the manner Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were signed recently, though the team remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Consider what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of supreme skill, able to starting and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is absent. This cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Problems

Salah is not the sole senior player to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender laboring. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's tragedy can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he