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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the starring role in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking center stage once more. The Merseyside club need him to keep that position.

Causes for Unsteady Displays

There are many factors why unsteady, unimpressive performances have been the common thread characterizing the team's start to their league defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from multiple offseason moves, the coach's search for his best XI, the late forward's passing; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could provide the impetus for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, though, if he continue lost in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Display

Liverpool's boss must have recognized the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Swept immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an nearly the same location to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first sublime setup in the English top flight. Discussions into his decline and Liverpool's unusual losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's search persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive away defeat, two due to late goals and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his career persisted in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the utmost out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a obvious decline on an personal and team level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is down 50% on the same point last season, from a total eight in the initial seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his figures stay among the top in the continent and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Output

Measures of collective output will concern Slot more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. This season's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the squad's problems as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the highest. The club's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play produces the most xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating rivals in the way the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool are the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in the club's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. The side are still a team of supreme individual quality, able to igniting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but synergy is missing. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole established player to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the core of the upheaval that has lately engulfed the club. That extends to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he