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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the starring role recently with a brace in Morocco that sealed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man claiming center stage once more. Liverpool require him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

We see many factors why inconsistent, unimpressive showings have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his atypically subdued beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's showpiece occasion could offer the spark for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will create Slot with a further surprise issue, though, if he continue caught in the disruption much longer.

Latest Performance

The team's head coach likely noticed the irony of the player's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the outside of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth score of the national team's qualification run originated from an very similar spot to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been converted moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first sublime setup in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third loss on the road, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship last season while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We achieved nearly the best out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an individual and collective level from then. The squad, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of shots has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to five, leading to a steep decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has held more steady is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Display

Indicators of collective display will trouble the coach further. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven matches of last season. The current campaign's total is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's issues overall. Only United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their share from distance among the greatest. The club's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from an individual brilliance from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we lack as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from general play generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting opponents in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired recently, while the team remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's history (46). Think what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a squad of supreme individual quality, equipped to starting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is absent. That can not be attributed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Problems

The player is not the only key player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has lately engulfed the club. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Jota evident on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of his death can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he