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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah returned playing the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking the limelight once more. Liverpool need him to remain there.

Reasons for Unsteady Displays

There are several reasons why inconsistent, lackluster showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their title defence, whether they produced seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's big match could offer the spark for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. The attacker will present the manager with an additional unforeseen dilemma, however, should he remain lost in the disruption for an extended period.

Latest Display

The team's head coach must have seen the contrast of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot into the close post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar location to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising the new signing's first superb setup in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, two caused by late goals and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown last season while speculation over his future persisted in the background. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Drop

His contribution in terms of scores and assists is down half on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the opening seven matches of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from fifteen to 5, contributing to a significant fall in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the comparable period of last term, his figures remain among the best in Europe and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Output

Metrics of collective display will trouble Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This season's count is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's issues as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the Premier League, their share from long range among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play produces the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting opponents in the way the coach planned when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed recently, though the team are the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the century of points in less games than any boss in the club's history (46). Think what his offense will do when it clicks. The side are still a team of exceptional talent, capable of sparking and reeling in any foe for the title, but synergy is lacking. This can not be pinned on the recent arrivals alone.

Personal and Team Challenges

The player is not the only senior member to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the center of the disruption that has lately enveloped Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of his loss can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he