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It has been a period, but the Egyptian star returned playing the main part in recent days with a brace in Morocco that secured Egypt's place at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on the limelight another time. The Reds must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Displays

There are numerous factors why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could deliver the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with an additional surprise issue, though, should he stay caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Performance

The team's head coach likely noticed the contrast of the player's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Struck directly with the outside of his stronger foot inside the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an almost identical position to his expensive error against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that shot with his right been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first excellent assist in the Premier League. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's infrequent defeat streak might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's search goes on while Slot stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, two due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as he repeated on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was key in propelling Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the prior campaign while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought almost the maximum out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in April. There has been a clear decline on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the same point the previous term, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. The count of attempts has fallen from 22 to 12 while shots on target have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, versus fourteen at the equivalent point of last campaign, his stats remain among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective output will worry the coach further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the initial seven league games of last season. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the team's issues overall. Just United and Arsenal have attempted more shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's rate of shots from inside the goal area is the lowest in the division, their share from long range among the top. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing foes in the way the coach envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, although Liverpool are the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of supreme individual quality, able to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the title, but synergy is absent. This cannot be blamed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder regaining to form and the defender struggling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Jota clear on that emotional opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's death can not be quantified nor overlooked.

Strategic Changes

Previously, he