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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star was back assuming the starring role last week with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming the limelight another time. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

We see numerous reasons why inconsistent, unimpressive showings have been the common thread running through Liverpool's beginning to their title defence, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, the coach's hunt for his best XI, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could offer the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with a further surprise issue, however, should he continue lost in the disruption much longer.

Current Performance

The team's manager must have seen the irony of the player's initial score against Djibouti in midweek. Struck directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that attempt been converted shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's maiden excellent assist in the league. Inquests into his decline and Liverpool's unusual defeat streak might also have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot broods over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on recently, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was instrumental in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while doubt over his career rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought almost the utmost out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an individual and collective level since. The team, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the opening seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is his creativity. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the equivalent point of last campaign, his stats remain among the top in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Metrics of collective performance will worry Slot additionally. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This season's count is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the team's difficulties in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the highest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play produces the most xG chances.”

New Signings

They are not punishing foes in the fashion the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, while the team stay the league's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. The side remain a squad of outstanding talent, capable of sparking and chasing any rival for the championship, but synergy is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established member to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and the defender laboring. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. This goes to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Jota evident on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The impact of Jota's death can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he