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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward returned assuming the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the limelight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Displays

We see several factors why unsteady, unimpressive performances have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from numerous new signings, the coach's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key start to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's key fixture could provide the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, though, if he continue lost in the disruption for an extended period.

Recent Performance

The team's boss likely noticed the contrast of the player's opening strike against the opponent recently. Drilled directly with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, his eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an nearly the same position to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first sublime assist in the English top flight. Discussions into his dip and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third defeat away, two caused by dying-minute strikes and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was instrumental in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the maximum out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a clear drop-off on an personal and team level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and setups is lower half on the same point the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the initial seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a significant decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers are among the best in the continent and up in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Measures of collective performance will worry Slot additionally. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven league games of last season. This term's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's problems as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their ratio from distance among the top. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play generates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing rivals in the way the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while the team remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in fewer games than any manager in the club's history (forty-six). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a team of outstanding individual quality, capable of starting and chasing any rival for the championship, but cohesion is absent. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Team Challenges

The player is not the only established player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. That goes to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Jota evident on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he