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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah was back taking on the main part recently with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's position at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking center stage once more. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

There are numerous reasons why inconsistent, lackluster displays have been the recurring theme running through the team's beginning to their title defence, whether they produced a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from multiple new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, the late forward's tragic death; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. The attacker will present the manager with another surprise issue, however, if he remain lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Form

Liverpool's boss must have recognized the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot into the front post, Salah's eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first sublime setup in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's unusual losing run might as well have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach broods over a third loss on the road, two caused by late goals and another the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was key in propelling Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a obvious drop-off on an individual and team level from then. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His number of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a significant drop in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, compared with 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Performance

Measures of team output will worry Slot more. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the first seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's issues as a whole. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their ratio from distance among the top. The club's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action generates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating rivals in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, although Liverpool remain the division's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding talent, equipped to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the title, but cohesion is absent. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Issues

The player is not the sole key member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the disruption that has of late enveloped the club. This goes to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he