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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward reappeared assuming the starring role recently with two goals in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The star stepping on the spotlight yet again. Liverpool require him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

We see several causes why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they recorded seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The upheaval from numerous summer changes, the coach's hunt for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the spark for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present the manager with another unexpected problem, however, should he continue lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Recent Performance

The team's manager must have noticed the paradox of the player's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the near post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort came from an almost identical location to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime setup in the Premier League. Discussions into his decline and the team's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach broods over a third defeat away, two caused by dying-minute strikes and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a tying 20th league title last season while speculation over his long-term plans lingered in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in April. There has been a clear drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The squad, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, causing a sharp fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his stats remain among the top in Europe and up in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Display

Metrics of team output will trouble the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the first seven league games of last season. This term's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's issues overall. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their percentage from long range among the highest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play generates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not beating opponents in the manner Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired this summer, although the team stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's past (46). Consider what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of exceptional skill, able to sparking and catching any foe for the title, but unity is lacking. This cannot be pinned on the new signings alone.

Individual and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole established member to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to form and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. That extends to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The impact of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he