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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward reappeared taking on the starring role last week with two goals in Morocco that confirmed the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming the spotlight yet again. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

There are numerous causes why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his unusually subdued beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's big match could provide the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, however, should he remain lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's boss likely seen the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Drilled directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical location to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden superb pass in the league. Discussions into his decline and the team's infrequent losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple due to last-minute winners and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the prior campaign while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We extracted almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. The count of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have dropped from fifteen to five, contributing to a significant drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's chance creation. With 12 chances created, versus fourteen at the comparable period of last term, his figures stay among the best in the continent and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Measures of team output will trouble Slot further. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven matches of the previous term. This season's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the squad's problems as a whole. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the goal area is the smallest in the Premier League, their share from distance among the top. The club's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating opponents in the way the coach imagined when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, although Liverpool remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in the club's past (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding individual quality, equipped to igniting and chasing any opponent for the title, but cohesion is missing. This cannot be pinned on the new signings only.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole key player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to form and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the heart of the turmoil that has lately engulfed Liverpool. This extends to a individual level, with his grief over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of his tragedy can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he