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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward was back assuming the lead part in recent days with two goals in Morocco that sealed Egypt's place at the global tournament. The main man taking center stage once more. Liverpool must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Variable Showings

There exist numerous factors why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the common thread running through the team's beginning to their championship defense, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the impetus for the cause of a record 16 strikes in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will create the manager with another unexpected problem, yet, if he stay lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Latest Form

Liverpool's manager likely noticed the paradox of the player's initial score against Djibouti recently. Drilled directly with the exterior of his left foot into the near post, his eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an nearly the same position to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that attempt been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's decline and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while Slot broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two inflicted by late goals and another the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as he reiterated on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was crucial in propelling the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship the prior campaign while doubt over his career persisted in the background. “We brought nearly the best out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a obvious drop-off on an personal and collective level since. The team, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is down half on the same point the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a sharp drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With twelve key passes, versus fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures are among the best in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Performance

Measures of team output will concern the coach more. Salah had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven league games of the previous term. This season's tally is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the team's issues overall. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their percentage from distance among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we primarily found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from live action produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not punishing opponents in the fashion the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding talent, able to starting and chasing any opponent for the title, but unity is absent. This can not be attributed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the sole senior member to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the heart of the upheaval that has of late engulfed Liverpool. That goes to a personal level, with his sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that heartfelt opening night against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can neither be measured nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Last season, he