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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the main part recently with a brace in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the global tournament. The star taking the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club require him to keep that position.

Reasons for Unsteady Showings

There are several factors why inconsistent, unconvincing showings have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, if they recorded seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous offseason moves, the coach's hunt for his top team, the late forward's passing; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually subdued beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's key fixture could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will present the manager with another unexpected problem, though, if he stay lost in the disruption much longer.

Current Form

The team's head coach must have seen the paradox of Salah's first goal against Djibouti recently. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot into the close post, Salah's eighth score of the national team's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his expensive error versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

If that attempt been finished moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the English top flight. Inquests into his drop and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's search continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple inflicted by late goals and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title last season while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

His production in terms of scores and setups is down half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. His number of shots has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to five, causing a significant drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his creativity. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers stay among the finest in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective output will trouble Slot further. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven matches of last season. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's issues in general. Just United and the Gunners have attempted more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the division, their percentage from long range among the top. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently 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 live action produces the most xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating opponents in the manner the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired recently, although Liverpool remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a team of supreme skill, able to starting and chasing any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Problems

The player is not the sole established member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the turmoil that has lately enveloped the club. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Jota obvious on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he