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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the lead part last week with a double in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming the spotlight yet again. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

We see many reasons why unsteady, unconvincing performances have been the common thread running through Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from so many offseason moves, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his atypically subdued start to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with another surprise issue, however, if he continue lost in the turmoil much longer.

Recent Display

The team's head coach likely seen the irony of the player's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled first time with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth score of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical position to his expensive error versus Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent pass in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare losing streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple due to dying-minute strikes and one the result of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th league title the prior campaign while doubt over his career rumbled in the background. We extracted almost the best out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

His output in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the same point last season, from a total eight in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to five, leading to a steep fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 key passes, compared with fourteen at the equivalent point of last term, his stats are among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Display

Metrics of collective display will worry Slot additionally. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the initial seven league games of last season. This term's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's problems as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's proportion of attempts from within the goal area is the smallest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the highest. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing opponents in the fashion the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, though the team remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to achieve the 100-point mark in fewer games than any boss in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of exceptional skill, equipped to igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. That can not be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only senior member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has recently engulfed the club. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Jota obvious on that emotional first game against the Cherries. The effect of his loss can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he