🔗 Share this article

It has been some time, but the Egyptian star returned assuming the starring role last week with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The star claiming the spotlight another time. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

There exist numerous factors why inconsistent, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically low-key beginning to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the spark for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with an additional unexpected problem, yet, should he stay lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's boss likely seen the contrast of Salah's first goal against Djibouti recently. Swept immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the near post, his eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical position to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that attempt been finished shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb setup in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search continues while Slot stews over a third loss on the road, two caused by late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was instrumental in propelling the side towards a historic 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his future lingered in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a clear decline on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is lower half on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while shots on target have dropped from fifteen to five, causing a significant decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve chances created, against fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers stay among the finest in Europe and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Display

Metrics of team performance will concern the coach further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the initial seven league games of last season. This term's total is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's problems in general. Only United and the Gunners have attempted more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's rate of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the top. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we lack as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing rivals in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, though the team stay the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in the club's history (46). Consider what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of supreme individual quality, capable of starting and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is absent. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established member to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. That goes to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota clear on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of his death can not be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he