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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the main part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that secured the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player taking the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

We see many reasons why unsteady, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining the team's opening to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from so many new signings, Arne Slot's quest for his best XI, the late forward's loss; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's showpiece occasion could offer the impetus for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, though, should he stay lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Recent Display

The team's head coach likely recognized the contrast of the player's initial score against the opponent recently. Drilled immediately with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's qualification run was from an almost identical location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that shot with his right been converted moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent setup in the English top flight. Discussions into his decline and the team's unusual defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to late goals and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an personal and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the opening seven matches of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from 15 to five, leading to a significant fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's chance creation. With 12 chances created, versus 14 at the same stage of last term, his stats are among the top in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective display will worry Slot more. He had 76 contacts in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven matches of last season. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's issues as a whole. Just United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of shots from within the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the greatest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play generates the most expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not beating foes in the fashion the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, although the team remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to achieve the century of points in less games than any manager in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. The side remain a team of supreme talent, capable of igniting and reeling in any foe for the title, but unity is lacking. That can not be blamed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only established player to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with his sorrow over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he