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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the main part recently with a double in Morocco that secured Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming center stage another time. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Displays

There exist numerous causes why inconsistent, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern defining the team's opening to their league defense, whether they produced a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from multiple offseason moves, the coach's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; the winger has experienced the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued beginning to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could provide the impetus for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with an additional unexpected problem, though, should he continue caught in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Display

Liverpool's head coach likely seen the irony of Salah's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Swept immediately with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an almost identical position to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the international break.

If that shot with his right been finished moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden sublime assist in the Premier League. Inquests into his drop and Liverpool's unusual losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, a couple due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he repeated on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while speculation over his career persisted in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a clear drop-off on an individual and team level since. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is lower half on the same point last season, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to 5, leading to a steep drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the equivalent point of last term, his stats stay among the best in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Output

Metrics of team performance will trouble Slot further. He had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's total is thirty-nine. The numbers are reflective of the squad's difficulties as a whole. Only United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the goal area is the poorest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly found the net from an individual brilliance from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing foes in the fashion the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, while the team are the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point mark in fewer games than any boss in the club's past (46). Think what his attack will do when it finally gels. The side are still a team of supreme skill, able to igniting and chasing any opponent for the title, but synergy is missing. This can not be attributed on the summer recruits alone.

Individual and Collective Problems

The player is not the only established member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and the defender toiling. But he is at the center of the disruption that has recently enveloped the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he