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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the lead part last week with a double in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the limelight yet again. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many factors why unsteady, unimpressive showings have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The upheaval from multiple offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued beginning to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's big match could deliver the spark for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. The attacker will create the manager with an additional surprise issue, yet, should he stay lost in the disruption much longer.

Recent Display

Liverpool's manager likely noticed the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical spot to his expensive error against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's first excellent assist in the league. Analyses into his drop and Liverpool's unusual losing run might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's search continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and another the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in April. We have seen a obvious decrease on an individual and team level since. The team, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is down half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His number of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have fallen from fifteen to five, contributing to a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With twelve key passes, against fourteen at the equivalent point of last campaign, his numbers are among the finest in Europe and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of team display will worry the coach more. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of last season. This season's total is 39. These figures are reflective of the squad's problems in general. Only United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from within the goal area is the poorest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly found the net from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not beating opponents in the way Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, while the team remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the 100-point mark in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of supreme skill, able to igniting and reeling in any foe for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. That can not be pinned on the summer recruits only.

Individual and Collective Challenges

The player is not the only senior player to experience a decline, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can neither be measured nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

Last season, he