It has been a period, but the Egyptian star reappeared playing the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The main man claiming the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.
There exist numerous reasons why variable, lackluster displays have been the common thread running through Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous summer changes, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has experienced the impact of them all during his atypically subdued start to the campaign.
Sunday's key fixture could deliver the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will create Slot with a further unexpected problem, yet, should he remain caught in the disruption for an extended period.
The team's manager must have noticed the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the close post, his eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar spot to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.
Had that shot with his right been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first superb setup in the league. Analyses into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple inflicted by late goals and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.
The forward was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown last season while speculation over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We achieved almost the utmost out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a clear drop-off on an individual and team level since. The team, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.
His output in terms of scores and setups is down half on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.
A single trait that has stayed stable is his chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, against fourteen at the equivalent point of last campaign, his figures are among the top in the continent and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.
Indicators of team performance will concern Slot additionally. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven matches of last season. This season's total is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the team's problems as a whole. Only United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them in the current term, but the team's rate of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.
During the initial phase of last season we mainly scored from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we lack as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play produces the most quality opportunities.”
They aren't beating opponents in the way Slot planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, though Liverpool remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side are still a team of outstanding individual quality, equipped to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the title, but cohesion is absent. That can not be blamed on the new signings by themselves.
The player is not the only established member to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has recently enveloped the club. That goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his death can neither be measured nor dismissed.
Last season, he
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