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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward reappeared taking on the lead part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The star stepping on the spotlight yet again. The Reds need him to remain there.

Causes for Unsteady Displays

We see many reasons why inconsistent, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern defining Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, if they achieved seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple summer changes, the coach's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could offer the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will create the manager with an additional surprise issue, though, if he remain lost in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's head coach likely noticed the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti in midweek. Struck directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical spot to his expensive error in the Chelsea match before the break for internationals.

If that right-foot effort been scored moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime assist in the Premier League. Inquests into his decline and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title the previous term while speculation over his career persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a obvious decline on an personal and team level from then. The squad, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is down 50% on the same stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the opening seven league games of last season to four (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. His number of shots has decreased from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Indicators of team performance will worry the coach further. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's tally is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's issues in general. Only United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's rate of attempts from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we lack as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from open play produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating foes in the way Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool are the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. The side remain a squad of supreme skill, equipped to starting and chasing any opponent for the title, but synergy is absent. That can not be pinned on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole key player to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has of late affected the club. That goes to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he