Mohamed Salah's Liverpool struggles examined as Arne Slot must find solution

Liverpool has consistently demonstrated its knack for managing big players, significant deals and crucial decisions. Rarely does a player leave Anfield to achieve greater success elsewhere, with the Reds typically maximizing the peak years of their players before they depart.

This approach was put to the test last season when Mohamed Salah, who celebrated his 33rd birthday in the summer, sought another lucrative contract to stay with the Premier League champions. Despite data suggesting that age might soon take its toll, his on-pitch performances told a different story.

Last term, Salah had one of his most successful seasons, netting 34 goals. Only during his debut season did the Egyptian find the back of the net more times.

However, this season has started off at a slower pace, leading some sceptics to suggest that the warning signs were already there.

Salah signed his new contract on April 11. Liverpool were practically champions by then, and everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.

However, their prolific striker's scoring rate would soon start to decline. In the final nine matches of the previous season, he scored twice. So far this season, he's found the back of the net twice.

This means that since failing to score against Everton in early April, Salah has scored four times in 16 matches - an average of one goal every four games.

For a player whose main asset is scoring goals, the statistics are not adding up. Even his creative output has significantly declined - he's provided three assists in his last 17 league matches. Meanwhile, Liverpool's own problems are being regularly highlighted, possibly drawing even more attention to the lack of contribution from their No 11.

For Arne Slot, it has been a summer of transformation. The expectation was that he would build on a dominant season as Liverpool aimed for back-to-back titles for the first time in 37 years. Instead, the substantial investment in the squad appears to have thrown everything off balance.

Five victories in the first five matches masked serious issues, the kind of issues that even Salah seems to have fallen victim to. Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike have both been brought in to spearhead the attack - but so far, there's no clear answer to who plays where.

Florian Wirtz, a British-record signing for a while, has joined as a traditional No 10 but has had a slow start. Integrating him into a system that has seldom had a playmaker is still a work in progress.

And Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah's right-wing partner, transferred to Real Madrid. Jeremie Frimpong was signed as his replacement. Conor Bradley also continues to vie for more involvement at right-back. But the number of changes have been significant and this seems to be affecting every player in the team.

For years, Liverpool's tactical approach has remained straightforward yet successful, with only minor adjustments along the way. Intense pressing and rapid counter-attacks were fundamental elements that perfectly complemented Salah's strengths.

However, as they attempt to evolve their playing style with fresh faces, the system isn't functioning as smoothly.

The statistics demonstrate that Salah's influence on matches has waned. His shot frequency has dropped, he's registering fewer efforts on target, creating fewer opportunities, and his dribbling has decreased compared to previous seasons.

This has resulted in a reduced goal tally - and even his commitment has come under scrutiny.

Following the defeat at Chelsea, Liverpool's third loss in seven days, Wayne Rooney commented: "Top players have an ego, and Mo Salah has been one of the best players in the league for a long time. "When it's gone well, you're scoring goals and you're winning games, it's great and the team will put up with that.

"But over the last week, I'd question his work ethic. I know he doesn't always get back and defend as much, but in the Chelsea game, his full back is getting torn apart, and he is watching."

It was Chelsea's left-back Marc Cucurella, a player who should have been tracked by Salah, who delivered the cross for the decisive goal in added time at Stamford Bridge. Whilst Salah has been granted some defensive freedom, this has typically been justified by his attacking contributions.

That's not currently the case. This modern Liverpool side still requires its star from previous eras to deliver as they always have for the team to progress.

Salah has been a goal-scoring powerhouse for eight years. Just last month, he was named the fourth best player in the world at the Ballon d'Or awards.

At present, he seems far from that level. The extent to which this is down to him or Slot's Liverpool 2.0 is up for discussion. Regardless, both the forward and his manager need to find a solution.