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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah returned taking on the main part in recent days with two goals in Morocco that sealed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The key player taking the limelight yet again. The Merseyside club require him to stay there.

Reasons for Variable Displays

We see numerous factors why unsteady, unimpressive showings have been the common thread defining Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they produced a winning streak or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous new signings, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued start to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with a further surprise issue, though, should he remain lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Latest Form

The team's head coach must have seen the paradox of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti recently. Swept immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an almost identical spot to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been scored moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's maiden superb setup in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might also have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's search continues while the coach broods over a third defeat away, two inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as he emphasized on recently, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Impact

Salah was instrumental in propelling the side towards a historic 20th league title last season while doubt over his career persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the maximum out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a total 8 in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to five, contributing to a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his figures remain among the best in the continent and comparable in the group of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Performance

Indicators of team display will concern Slot additionally. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the initial seven matches of the previous term. This season's count is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties overall. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from open play produces the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting rivals in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired this summer, although Liverpool remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in the club's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding individual quality, capable of igniting and reeling in any rival for the title, but unity is lacking. This cannot be attributed on the new signings only.

Personal and Collective Challenges

The player is not the only senior member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he ends up at the center of the disruption that has lately enveloped the club. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Jota evident on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he