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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the starring role in recent days with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's place at the global tournament. The main man taking the limelight once more. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

There are many reasons why inconsistent, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's beginning to their title defence, if they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from numerous summer changes, the coach's quest for his best XI, the late forward's tragic death; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's showpiece occasion could provide the spark for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, though, should he continue lost in the disruption for an extended period.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's head coach must have noticed the irony of the player's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical position to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

If that attempt been scored moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb setup in the league. Discussions into Salah's drop and the team's infrequent losing streak might as well have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach stews over a third defeat away, a couple due to dying-minute strikes and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as he repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown last season while doubt over his future lingered in the background. We achieved almost the utmost out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an personal and team level since. The team, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Drop

His contribution in terms of scores and setups is reduced half on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His tally of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, contributing to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the equivalent point of the previous season, his stats are among the top in Europe and comparable in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team display will trouble Slot additionally. Salah had 76 touches in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven league games of last season. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's problems in general. Only United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play produces the most xG chances.”

New Signings

They are not punishing opponents in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, although Liverpool remain the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Consider what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a team of supreme individual quality, equipped to igniting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals only.

Individual and Collective Problems

The player is not the only key player to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has recently engulfed Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his death can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he