Short answer
Mild concern, not panic. The trend matters more than one miss. Salah’s shot volume and touches in the box have dropped a lot. If that continues for another month, Liverpool have a real problem.
What is different
- Shots are down. Eleven non penalty shots through seven league games, roughly half of his usual early season volume.
- xG is down with it. About half of last season’s figure at the same stage.
- Box presence has fallen. Touches in the area per 90 are down from roughly nine and a half to under five. That is the biggest red flag.
Why it might be happening
- Constant tinkering on the right side has broken automatisms. Szoboszlai at full back, Frimpong pushed high, Wirtz rotation. Fewer repeat patterns for Salah to attack.
- Role drift. More touchline work and gravity, fewer hard runs into the inside channel.
- Game state noise. Liverpool have chased or protected late in many matches, which distorts where and how he receives the ball.
- League wide attack is down a notch, so individual lines are softer across the board.
Why it can correct
- Salah still ranks well for passes into the box and is not miles off chance creation. Supply lines exist, the final actions are simply fewer.
- Small sample. Seven games can swing quickly if one match delivers five or six touches in the six yard zone.
- He is historically a volume monster rather than a clinical outlier. Restoring volume usually restores goals.
What Slot can do this week
- Stabilize the right corridor. Pick one pairing at full back and right eight or right wing and repeat it.
- Get the overlap back. Ask the full back to run outside, let Salah receive inside the half space rather than pinned to the chalk.
- Earlier entries. More first time passes from Wirtz and Mac Allister into Salah on the move, fewer recycle touches.
- Box occupation rules. When Isak drifts, mandate Salah to crash the near post and the weak side eight to hit the penalty spot.
- Set plays and pens. A couple of low variance looks can kick start rhythm.
Verdict
Should Liverpool worry a little
Yes, because Salah’s volume has halved and that has tracked previous down years for the team.
Should they overreact
No, because the fix is tactical continuity and repeat patterns on the right, not a reset of the attack. If the shot and box touch numbers are still this low after the next four or five games, then it is time to ring the alarm.
