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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward was back assuming the main part last week with a brace in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The key player taking the limelight another time. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Variable Performances

There exist many reasons why inconsistent, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, if they recorded seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's quest for his ideal lineup, the late forward's loss; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could provide the impetus for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present the manager with an additional unexpected problem, yet, if he continue caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Latest Form

The team's head coach must have noticed the paradox of Salah's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Struck directly with the outside of his left foot into the close post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort came from an very similar location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating the new signing's first sublime assist in the English top flight. Inquests into his dip and the team's infrequent defeat streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search continues while Slot broods over a third loss on the road, a couple due to last-minute winners and another the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was crucial in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the utmost out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a clear drop-off on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is down half on the same stage the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His number of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while shots on target have dropped from 15 to 5, causing a steep drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 key passes, against 14 at the comparable period of last term, his numbers stay among the best in the continent and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team output will worry the coach more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven matches of last season. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's issues overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the Premier League, their share from distance among the greatest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mostly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” the manager said. “This season we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play generates the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting rivals in the fashion Slot planned when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, although the team remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to attain the century of points in less games than any coach in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his offense will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional talent, able to starting and chasing any opponent for the title, but unity is missing. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the sole key player to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender laboring. But he is at the core of the turmoil that has lately affected the club. That goes to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against the Cherries. The influence of his tragedy can not be quantified nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

Previously, he