It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that secured Egypt's position at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.
There are several factors why inconsistent, lackluster displays have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous new signings, the coach's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the season.
The weekend's showpiece occasion could offer the impetus for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, though, if he stay caught in the disruption much longer.
The team's manager likely seen the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort came from an very similar position to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.
If that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating the new signing's maiden sublime setup in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while the coach broods over a third away defeat, two caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.
The forward was instrumental in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship last season while doubt over his career persisted in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a clear decline on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.
His output in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a sharp decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.
One attribute that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With 12 chances created, compared with 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his figures remain among the best in the continent and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.
Measures of collective display will concern Slot further. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the initial seven matches of the prior campaign. This season's count is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's issues overall. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's rate of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the competition.
“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action produces the most quality opportunities.”
They aren't punishing foes in the manner the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed this summer, though the team stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional skill, equipped to igniting and chasing any opponent for the title, but unity is missing. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.
Salah is not the only senior player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has lately affected the club. That applies to a personal level, with his grief over the death of Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor ignored.
Last season, he
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
