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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the main part in recent days with a brace in Morocco that secured Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking center stage yet again. The Reds require him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There are several causes why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, the coach's quest for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has felt the consequences of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the spark for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. The attacker will pose Slot with an additional unexpected problem, though, if he remain lost in the upheaval for an extended period.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's head coach likely recognized the paradox of Salah's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept first time with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that attempt been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent assist in the league. Discussions into Salah's decline and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his career persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo this season,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear decrease on an individual and collective level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

His contribution in terms of scores and assists is down 50% on the same stage last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. The count of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a sharp drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his creativity. With twelve key passes, versus 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his figures are among the finest in the continent and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Performance

Measures of team performance will trouble Slot more. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven league games of the previous term. This term's total is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's difficulties overall. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than them now, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their share from distance among the greatest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we primarily scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing opponents in the way Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, although the team are the league's equal third-top scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Think what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side are still a squad of exceptional talent, equipped to igniting and catching any opponent for the championship, but synergy is lacking. That cannot be pinned on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole key player to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the heart of the disruption that has lately engulfed Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that emotional first game against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

Last season, he