Salah Needs Comeback to Center Stage for Liverpool's Big Occasion

It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the starring role recently with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The key player taking center stage another time. The Reds must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Variable Displays

We see many causes why variable, unconvincing displays have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their championship defense, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from multiple summer changes, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key start to the campaign.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could offer the spark for the cause of a record 16 strikes in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will create the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, however, should he continue lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Form

The team's manager must have seen the contrast of the player's initial score against Djibouti in midweek. Struck first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an very similar location to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the international break.

Had that attempt been finished moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the league. Inquests into Salah's decline and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two inflicted by last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot repeated on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was key in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future lingered in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a clear decline on an individual and collective level from then. The squad, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is down half on the same stage the previous term, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a significant fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his stats stay among the top in the continent and up in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Measures of collective display will worry Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the first seven matches of the prior campaign. This term's count is 39. The stats are indicative of the team's issues as a whole. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their percentage from distance among the highest. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as numerous sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play generates the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing foes in the manner the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, while Liverpool are the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's history (forty-six). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. The side remain a team of supreme talent, able to igniting and reeling in any foe for the title, but synergy is absent. This can not be blamed on the recent arrivals only.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender struggling. But he is at the core of the turmoil that has recently affected Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with his sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of his death can neither be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he