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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the main part last week with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming center stage another time. The Merseyside club require him to remain there.

Reasons for Variable Displays

We see several causes why unsteady, unimpressive showings have been the frequent pattern running through the team's start to their championship defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the effect of them all during his atypically low-key start to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could deliver the spark for the source of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, however, if he remain lost in the upheaval for an extended period.

Recent Form

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the paradox of Salah's opening strike against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical spot to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

If that attempt been finished shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's first excellent setup in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's drop and the team's unusual losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while the coach fumes over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot repeated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship last season while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a noticeable decrease on an personal and collective level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Statistical Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total eight in the first seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His number of shots has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his figures stay among the finest in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Output

Measures of collective output will worry the coach more. He had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of last season. This season's tally is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties overall. Only United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the goal area is the smallest in the Premier League, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. The club's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action creates the most xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting rivals in the manner the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, though Liverpool stay the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a team of exceptional talent, able to igniting and catching any foe for the title, but unity is missing. This can not be blamed on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only senior player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to fitness and the defender toiling. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has of late enveloped the club. That goes to a personal level, with his sorrow over the loss of Jota evident on that emotional first game against Bournemouth. The impact of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he