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It's been some time, but the Egyptian star was back playing the main part last week with a brace in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The main man claiming the spotlight once more. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Performances

There are many factors why variable, unimpressive displays have been the frequent pattern defining the team's beginning to their title defence, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, the late forward's passing; the winger has felt the consequences of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's key fixture could deliver the impetus for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 games for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will create the manager with a further surprise issue, however, should he continue lost in the turmoil much longer.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's head coach must have seen the irony of the player's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Swept directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an nearly the same spot to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

If that shot with his right been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first superb assist in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's dip and Liverpool's unusual losing streak might also have been delayed. Instead, the midfielder's search continues while Slot broods over a third away defeat, two caused by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was instrumental in propelling the side towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans lingered in the background. “We brought nearly the best out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a clear decline on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and setups is down half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total 8 in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to twelve while shots on target have declined from fifteen to five, causing a steep drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, compared with fourteen at the equivalent point of the previous season, his stats remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Metrics of collective performance will trouble the coach further. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the first seven fixtures of the previous term. This term's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the team's difficulties as a whole. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted more shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from within the goal area is the smallest in the division, their share from distance among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing opponents in the manner the coach envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired this summer, while the team remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's history (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, able to igniting and catching any foe for the championship, but synergy is missing. This cannot be pinned on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only senior member to experience a decline, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the turmoil that has of late engulfed the club. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's tragedy can neither be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he