🔗 Share this article

It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah was back taking on the lead part last week with a double in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the limelight another time. Liverpool require him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

There are several reasons why variable, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern defining Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they achieved seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his unusually low-key start to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could provide the spark for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will present the manager with a further unexpected problem, though, if he continue lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Recent Display

Liverpool's boss must have recognized the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept first time with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical position to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's first sublime setup in the Premier League. Analyses into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing run might also have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while the coach fumes over a third consecutive loss on the road, two due to late goals and one the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was instrumental in pushing the side towards a tying 20th crown the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted almost the utmost out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a obvious decrease on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is down half on the same stage last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven fixtures of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have fallen from fifteen to five, contributing to a steep drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A single trait that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With 12 key passes, versus fourteen at the same stage of last term, his stats are among the top in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team display will concern the coach more. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. The current campaign's tally is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's problems in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from inside the goal area is the lowest in the top flight, their percentage from distance among the top. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing opponents in the fashion the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though the team remain the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of exceptional skill, capable of starting and catching any foe for the championship, but synergy is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Team Problems

Salah is not the only senior member to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the heart of the upheaval that has recently affected Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with his sorrow over the death of Jota evident on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The effect of his death can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he