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It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part last week with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The star claiming the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Causes for Unsteady Showings

We see several reasons why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's beginning to their title defence, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, the late forward's passing; Salah has experienced the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet start to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's showpiece occasion could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, though, if he remain lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Performance

The team's boss must have seen the irony of the player's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Struck immediately with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an nearly the same position to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

If that right-foot effort been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first superb setup in the league. Analyses into his dip and the team's infrequent defeat streak might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach stews over a third defeat away, two due to late goals and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title last season while uncertainty over his future rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and assists is lower half on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a significant drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With 12 chances created, against fourteen at the comparable period of last term, his stats are among the top in the continent and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Output

Metrics of collective display will concern the coach further. Salah had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven league games of the previous term. This term's total is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's issues overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's percentage of shots from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the greatest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mainly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating rivals in the manner the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, although Liverpool stay the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side remain a squad of exceptional individual quality, capable of sparking and catching any foe for the championship, but cohesion is missing. This can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only established player to experience a decline, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the heart of the upheaval that has recently affected Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with his sorrow over the death of Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The influence of his loss can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he