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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah reappeared playing the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's spot at the global tournament. The key player stepping on center stage another time. Liverpool require him to stay there.

Reasons for Variable Showings

There exist several causes why variable, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern defining the team's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' visit to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from so many new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the campaign.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's showpiece occasion could deliver the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will present the manager with a further unexpected problem, though, should he remain lost in the turmoil much longer.

Current Performance

The team's boss must have recognized the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort came from an very similar position to his big mistake against Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been converted moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent assist in the league. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach stews over a third away defeat, two due to late goals and another the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in propelling Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title the prior campaign while doubt over his long-term plans lingered in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable decline on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of goals and setups is down half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total 8 in the first seven matches of last season to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of attempts has dropped from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have fallen from 15 to 5, contributing to a steep decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With 12 key passes, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his numbers stay among the finest in the continent and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Display

Metrics of collective output will concern Slot more. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the first seven league games of the previous term. This season's total is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's problems as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action produces the highest quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not hurting opponents in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, though Liverpool remain the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a team of supreme talent, capable of starting and chasing any foe for the championship, but synergy is missing. This can not be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the only senior member to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the heart of the upheaval that has lately affected Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he