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It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared playing the starring role recently with a brace in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's spot at the global tournament. The key player claiming the spotlight another time. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There exist many factors why unsteady, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's start to their championship defense, if they produced a winning streak or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The upheaval from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has endured the impact of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will create the manager with another surprise issue, though, should he remain caught in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Form

The team's boss likely recognized the irony of the player's initial score against the opponent in midweek. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an almost identical location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the international break.

If that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden excellent assist in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's unusual losing run might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's search persists while Slot broods over a third consecutive loss on the road, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future lingered in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a clear drop-off on an individual and collective level from then. The squad, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the same point last season, from a combined eight in the first seven matches of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a sharp decline in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is his creativity. With 12 key passes, versus 14 at the equivalent point of last campaign, his stats are among the best in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective output will concern the coach additionally. He had 76 touches in the opposition penalty area in the first seven matches of the previous term. The current campaign's total is 39. The stats are indicative of the team's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than them in the current term, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their percentage from distance among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase 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,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't beating opponents in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool are the division's third-best scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot 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 clicks. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding skill, capable of starting and reeling in any opponent for the title, but cohesion is lacking. That cannot be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole senior player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the core of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. This extends to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's loss can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he