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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward returned taking on the starring role recently with a brace in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The main man stepping on the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Showings

We see numerous causes why variable, lackluster showings have been the recurring theme characterizing Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they achieved seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from numerous offseason moves, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his unusually low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's big match could offer the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. The attacker will present the manager with another surprise issue, however, should he stay lost in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Display

The team's boss likely noticed the irony of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the near post, his eighth score of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical location to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the international break.

If that shot with his right been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime assist in the Premier League. Inquests into his dip and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might as well have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's search persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while uncertainty over his career lingered in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a clear decrease on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined eight in the initial seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of shots has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, causing a significant decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve key passes, versus fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his figures are among the top in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Performance

Measures of team output will concern Slot additionally. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's count is 39. These figures are reflective of the team's issues overall. Only United and Arsenal have attempted more shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's proportion of attempts from within the goal area is the poorest in the Premier League, their ratio from distance among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

“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 second half it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Currently we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play generates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting rivals in the fashion the coach imagined when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, though the team are the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point mark in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional skill, able to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but synergy is lacking. That cannot be pinned on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has of late engulfed Liverpool. That goes to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's death can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he