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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the lead part last week with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming center stage another time. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Factors for Unsteady Performances

There exist many reasons why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the recurring theme characterizing Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from so many summer changes, the coach's search for his best XI, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the effect of them all during his unusually low-key beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could offer the spark for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present the manager with a further unexpected problem, yet, if he remain caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Recent Display

Liverpool's head coach likely noticed the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Drilled first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an almost identical location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime setup in the Premier League. Analyses into his drop and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third loss on the road, two due to last-minute winners and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a tying 20th championship last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. We achieved almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in April. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have declined from 15 to five, leading to a significant decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With 12 opportunities made, against 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his stats stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Display

Metrics of team performance will worry the coach additionally. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven matches of last season. This season's total is 39. The numbers are reflective of the team's difficulties overall. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the lowest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from open play produces the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating rivals in the manner Slot planned when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, although Liverpool stay the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to reach the century of points in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme individual quality, capable of starting and chasing any rival for the title, but cohesion is absent. This can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Collective Issues

Salah is not the sole senior member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to form and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has recently affected Liverpool. That goes to a individual level, with his sorrow over the passing of Jota evident on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's death can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he