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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward returned playing the starring role last week with a double in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on center stage another time. The Merseyside club require him to remain there.

Factors for Unsteady Performances

There exist several reasons why variable, unconvincing showings have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, the late forward's tragic death; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his atypically low-key opening to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's big match could offer the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with an additional unforeseen dilemma, however, if he remain lost in the upheaval much longer.

Current Display

Liverpool's manager must have seen the irony of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot into the front post, his eighth goal of Egypt's qualification run was from an very similar position to his expensive error versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been scored moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb assist 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 persists while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, two due to last-minute winners and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in pushing the side towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the best out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a obvious decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

His production in terms of goals and assists is lower half on the corresponding point last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of shots has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to 5, causing a steep drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve chances created, versus 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his numbers stay among the best in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Output

Metrics of collective output will worry Slot more. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the initial seven league games of the previous term. The current campaign's total is 39. The stats are reflective of the team's issues overall. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their share from long range among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we lack as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action creates the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not beating opponents in the manner Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool are the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to reach the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. The side remain a team of outstanding talent, able to sparking and reeling in any rival for the title, but synergy is absent. That can not be attributed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the only key player to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the core of the upheaval that has lately enveloped Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the death of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The effect of his loss can not be measured nor overlooked.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he