Mohamed Salah Seeks Comeback to Center Stage for Liverpool's Grand Show

It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the starring role last week with a double in Morocco that confirmed the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to remain there.

Causes for Unsteady Performances

There are several reasons why variable, unimpressive performances have been the common thread characterizing the team's opening to their title defence, if they achieved a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could provide the spark for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will present the manager with another surprise issue, however, should he continue lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's manager likely noticed the irony of Salah's first goal against Djibouti recently. Swept first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualification run came from an nearly the same location to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

If that shot with his right been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's maiden sublime setup in the league. Discussions into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been delayed. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot stews over a third defeat away, a couple caused by late goals and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown last season while speculation over his future persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the best out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed an extension in April. There has been a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level since. The team, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the same stage the previous term, from a combined eight in the opening seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have declined from 15 to 5, leading to a sharp decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With 12 opportunities made, versus fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his stats remain among the finest in Europe and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Display

Indicators of team output will concern the coach further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the first seven fixtures of the previous term. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the squad's issues as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from long range among the highest. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from general play generates the most xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting foes in the manner the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, though Liverpool remain the division's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's history (46). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a team of outstanding skill, equipped to sparking and catching any rival for the title, but synergy is absent. This cannot be blamed on the new signings only.

Personal and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the only established member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the center of the upheaval that has lately affected the club. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The impact of his loss can neither be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he