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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared assuming the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The star claiming the spotlight yet again. The Merseyside club must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Showings

We see several causes why unsteady, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his unusually low-key beginning to the term.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could provide the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will create Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, though, if he stay caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Recent Display

Liverpool's head coach must have seen the irony of the player's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the near post, his eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an almost identical position to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating the new signing's first superb assist in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing run might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot broods over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple due to last-minute winners and one the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title last season while speculation over his career persisted in the backdrop. We achieved almost the maximum out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a clear decline on an individual and collective level since. The squad, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the corresponding point the previous term, from a total 8 in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have declined from 15 to 5, contributing to a significant fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his figures are among the best in the continent and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective output will worry Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven matches of last season. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the team's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the highest. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating foes in the fashion the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed recently, while Liverpool are the league's equal third-top scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme talent, equipped to starting and catching any rival for the championship, but unity is lacking. This cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Challenges

The player is not the sole key player to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the heart of the turmoil that has recently affected the club. That extends to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The impact of Jota's loss can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he