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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward returned playing the main part last week with a brace in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The key player claiming center stage another time. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Unsteady Showings

There exist many factors why unsteady, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern running through the team's beginning to their championship defense, if they achieved a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The disruption from multiple new signings, the coach's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually low-key start to the campaign.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's big match could provide the catalyst for the source of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, however, should he remain caught in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Form

The team's boss must have recognized the paradox of Salah's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Struck immediately with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical spot to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

If that right-foot effort been converted moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's first excellent pass in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's dip and Liverpool's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's search goes on while the coach stews over a third away defeat, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was instrumental in propelling Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title last season while doubt over his future persisted in the background. “We brought almost the best out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in April. We have seen a noticeable decline on an individual and team level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding point the previous term, from a combined eight in the initial seven fixtures of last season to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have dropped from fifteen to 5, causing a steep fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, against 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his stats remain among the top in Europe and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Output

Indicators of team display will trouble Slot more. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven matches of last season. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's issues as a whole. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but the team's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the greatest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action generates the highest xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting foes in the fashion the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, though the team are the division's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Think what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional talent, equipped to sparking and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is lacking. This can not be blamed on the recent arrivals only.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the only established player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender laboring. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has of late affected the club. That goes to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota evident on that emotional season opener against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Strategic Changes

In the prior campaign, he