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It has been a while, but the Egyptian star was back playing the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player taking center stage once more. Liverpool must have him to remain there.

Factors for Unsteady Performances

We see many reasons why variable, unimpressive showings have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the spark for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with an additional unforeseen dilemma, however, if he continue caught in the turmoil much longer.

Recent Display

The team's head coach must have seen the paradox of Salah's first goal against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept immediately with the outside of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an very similar position to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

If that right-foot effort been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's first excellent setup in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's infrequent losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, two due to last-minute winners and one the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was key in driving the side towards a tying 20th crown last season while speculation over his future rumbled in the backdrop. We extracted almost the best out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His output in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. His tally of shots has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to five, leading to a significant fall in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is his playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the equivalent point of last term, his numbers stay among the top in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective performance will concern Slot further. He had 76 touches in the opposition box in the first seven league games of last season. This season's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's issues in general. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from within the goal area is the poorest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting opponents in the way the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though the team remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of supreme skill, equipped to starting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but unity is absent. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits alone.

Individual and Team Challenges

The player is not the sole senior member to experience a dip, with the midfielder regaining to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has of late enveloped the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's tragedy can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Changes

Last season, he