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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player taking center stage once more. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Causes for Variable Displays

There are many causes why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's opening to their title defence, if they achieved a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three losses in a row. The upheaval from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has experienced the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could offer the spark for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with an additional surprise issue, though, if he stay caught in the disruption much longer.

Current Performance

The team's boss likely seen the paradox of Salah's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Swept immediately with the outside of his left foot into the near post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualification run originated from an nearly the same spot to his expensive error versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been scored moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising the new signing's first sublime setup in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive away defeat, two due to last-minute winners and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We extracted almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear decline on an individual and team level from then. The team, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is lower half on the corresponding stage last season, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of last season to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of shots has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to 5, leading to a steep drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With twelve chances created, against fourteen at the same stage of last term, his stats remain among the best in Europe and up in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Output

Measures of collective output will trouble the coach additionally. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. This season's tally is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than them now, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the top. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Currently we lack as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing opponents in the way Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired this summer, though the team stay the division's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional talent, capable of sparking and chasing any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. That can not be pinned on the new signings alone.

Personal and Collective Problems

The player is not the only key member to experience a decline, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has recently engulfed the club. This extends to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Diogo Jota clear on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he