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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the lead part last week with a double in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man taking center stage yet again. The Reds need him to remain there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

We see numerous reasons why variable, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme characterizing Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple new signings, the coach's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his atypically subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the catalyst for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present the manager with a further surprise issue, yet, if he remain caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's manager must have noticed the paradox of the player's first goal against Djibouti recently. Drilled immediately with the outside of his left foot into the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an nearly the same location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be praising the new signing's maiden superb pass in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's unusual losing streak might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third away defeat, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the prior campaign while uncertainty over his career persisted in the background. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable decline on an individual and collective level since. The squad, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the same stage last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His tally of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With twelve chances created, against 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his stats are among the finest in the continent and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Output

Indicators of collective output will worry Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. The stats are reflective of the team's problems in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the goal area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from long range among the top. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play produces the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing opponents in the manner the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired recently, while Liverpool remain the division's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot 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 clicks. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding skill, able to sparking and catching any foe for the championship, but cohesion is missing. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the sole senior player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has recently enveloped the club. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Jota clear on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The influence of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he