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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward returned playing the main part recently with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's spot at the global tournament. The main man taking center stage another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

There exist many causes why variable, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their league defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from numerous offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has endured the impact of them all during his unusually quiet start to the campaign.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, however, should he remain caught in the disruption much longer.

Current Form

The team's head coach must have recognized the contrast of Salah's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the near post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run came from an nearly the same position to his expensive error in the Chelsea match before the break for internationals.

If that shot with his right been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Analyses into his dip and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while the coach fumes over a third loss on the road, two caused by late goals and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the background. We extracted nearly the best out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and assists is reduced half on the same point last season, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from fifteen to five, causing a sharp drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, against fourteen at the comparable period of last term, his stats stay among the best in the continent and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective display will concern Slot more. He had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven league games of last season. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's difficulties in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted more shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the six-yard area is the poorest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from general play creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating opponents in the manner Slot planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, although Liverpool stay the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding talent, capable of starting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but synergy is lacking. That can not be blamed on the new signings only.

Personal and Team Problems

The player is not the sole senior player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with his sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he