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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared playing the main part in recent days with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's place at the global tournament. The main man claiming the spotlight yet again. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Displays

There exist numerous reasons why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the common thread running through the team's start to their championship defense, whether they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from so many summer changes, the coach's hunt for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his atypically low-key beginning to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. Salah will present the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, however, should he remain caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Current Display

Liverpool's head coach must have recognized the irony of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of the national team's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same position to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

If that shot with his right been finished moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising the new signing's maiden superb assist in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's rare losing run might as well have been postponed. Rather, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive away defeat, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding point last season, from a total eight in the initial seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has fallen from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to five, leading to a sharp drop in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the equivalent point of the previous season, his numbers are among the best in Europe and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Measures of collective performance will concern the coach further. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of last season. The current campaign's total is 39. These figures are indicative of the squad's problems as a whole. Just United and Arsenal have tried more shots on goal than them this season, but the team's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their percentage from distance among the top. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing foes in the fashion the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, though Liverpool are the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the century of points in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional individual quality, capable of igniting and chasing any opponent for the title, but cohesion is missing. This can not be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the sole key member to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and the defender struggling. But he is at the heart of the upheaval that has lately affected the club. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota clear on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be quantified nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he