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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the main part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the 2026 World Cup. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. Liverpool need him to remain there.

Causes for Unsteady Displays

There are numerous reasons why variable, unconvincing performances have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from multiple new signings, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key opening to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could provide the spark for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with an additional surprise issue, yet, if he remain caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Current Performance

Liverpool's boss likely recognized the contrast of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti last Wednesday. Struck immediately with the outside of his left foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualification run came from an very similar position to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the international break.

If that attempt been finished shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent pass in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while Slot stews over a third away defeat, two inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in driving the side towards a historic 20th championship last season while doubt over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is down 50% on the same stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, causing a significant drop in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his stats stay among the best in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Performance

Metrics of collective display will trouble Slot further. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the first seven league games of the previous term. This season's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are indicative of the squad's difficulties overall. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the goal area is the smallest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the top. The club's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we primarily found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” the manager said. “Now we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting rivals in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, while Liverpool are the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point total in less games than any coach in the club's history (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side are still a team of exceptional skill, capable of starting and chasing any rival for the championship, but unity is absent. That cannot be pinned on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole senior member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has lately affected the club. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can not be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he