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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the lead part last week with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man taking the spotlight yet again. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

We see several factors why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the common thread running through Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, if they recorded seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his atypically quiet opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the spark for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with a further surprise issue, though, if he remain lost in the upheaval for an extended period.

Current Performance

The team's boss likely noticed the contrast of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort came from an nearly the same location to his big mistake in the Chelsea match before the national team pause.

Had that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent pass in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been delayed. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach broods over a third away defeat, a couple caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th crown the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future lingered in the background. We achieved almost the best out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding point the previous term, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen 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 remained consistent is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his stats remain among the top in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Output

Indicators of collective output will worry the coach more. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the first seven league games of the previous term. This term's count is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's difficulties in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than them in the current term, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their share from distance among the top. Liverpool's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we have not seen as numerous sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating rivals in the way the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool stay the league's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's past (46). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding skill, able to starting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but unity is absent. That cannot be pinned on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Team Challenges

The player is not the only established player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the core of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. That extends to a personal level, with his sadness over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's tragedy can not be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he