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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the lead part in recent days with a brace in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Reasons for Variable Showings

We see several factors why inconsistent, lackluster performances have been the recurring theme characterizing the team's opening to their championship defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous summer changes, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's loss; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the impetus for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will present the manager with an additional surprise issue, though, should he remain caught in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's head coach must have noticed the irony of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the outside of his left foot inside the close post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualification run was from an almost identical location to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

If that attempt been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first sublime assist in the Premier League. Discussions into his dip and the team's rare losing streak might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot fumes over a third away defeat, a couple due to late goals and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was crucial in pushing the side towards a tying 20th crown last season while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a obvious decline on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and assists is lower 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to five, causing a sharp decline in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 chances created, against 14 at the equivalent point of the previous season, his figures are among the finest in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Measures of collective display will worry the coach further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the initial seven matches of the previous term. This term's tally is 39. The stats are reflective of the team's problems as a whole. Only United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the highest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance 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 haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from open play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not beating opponents in the way Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, though the team remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding talent, equipped to starting and catching any opponent for the championship, but synergy is missing. That can not be pinned on the new signings only.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to form and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has lately affected Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's loss can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

Previously, he