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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward returned assuming the main part recently with a brace in Casablanca that secured Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man stepping on the spotlight another time. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

We see many causes why variable, lackluster showings have been the common thread characterizing the team's opening to their championship defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from so many offseason moves, Arne Slot's hunt for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has experienced the impact of them all during his unusually low-key start to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with an additional unforeseen dilemma, however, should he remain lost in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Form

The team's boss must have recognized the contrast of the player's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the front post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

If that right-foot effort been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb assist in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's dip and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's search continues while the coach fumes over a third away defeat, a couple caused by late goals and one the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was crucial in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the prior campaign while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the best out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an personal and team level since. The team, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Drop

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is lower half on the corresponding point the previous term, from a total 8 in the first seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. The count of shots has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to 5, leading to a significant fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's playmaking. With twelve chances created, versus fourteen at the same stage of last term, his figures stay among the finest in the continent and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective performance will worry the coach more. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are reflective of the squad's problems in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly 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,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play produces the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing opponents in the way Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, while the team remain the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the century of points in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his forward line will do when it clicks. The side remain a squad of outstanding skill, equipped to igniting and chasing any rival for the title, but cohesion is absent. That cannot be pinned on the summer recruits alone.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only established member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has of late engulfed the club. This extends to a individual level, with his grief over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The impact of Jota's tragedy can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he