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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the main part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The star taking the spotlight yet again. The Merseyside club require him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many factors why unsteady, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, if they produced seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from so many new signings, the coach's quest for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the cause of a record 16 strikes in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. The attacker will create Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, though, should he remain lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Performance

Liverpool's boss must have recognized the contrast of the player's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Struck first time with the exterior of his left foot into the near post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort came from an very similar location to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

If that attempt been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he repeated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his career rumbled in the background. We extracted almost the best out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the same point last season, from a total eight in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His number of shots has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a significant fall in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his creativity. With twelve key passes, against fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures stay among the best in Europe and up in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team performance will trouble the coach further. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the first seven fixtures of last season. This season's count is 39. These figures are indicative of the team's difficulties as a whole. Only United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of shots on goal than them in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the Premier League, their share from long range among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “This season we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not hurting rivals in the fashion Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, although the team are the division's equal third-top scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Think what his offense will do when it clicks. The side are still a squad of outstanding skill, capable of igniting and catching any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. That can not be attributed on the recent arrivals only.

Personal and Collective Issues

Salah is not the sole senior member to suffer a decline, with the midfielder returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the death of Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he