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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the main part recently with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man claiming center stage yet again. The Merseyside club must have him to remain there.

Factors for Variable Displays

There exist many reasons why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually subdued start to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will present the manager with an additional unforeseen dilemma, yet, should he remain caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Latest Form

Liverpool's boss must have seen the irony of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Struck immediately with the exterior of his left foot into the near post, his eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical spot to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that attempt been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach broods over a third defeat away, a couple inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the prior campaign while doubt over his career rumbled in the background. We achieved nearly the utmost out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this term. His number of shots has dropped from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, leading to a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has held more steady is Salah's playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his stats are among the top in Europe and comparable in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Performance

Measures of collective display will trouble Slot additionally. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. This season's total is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's issues in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from long range among the top. Liverpool's proportion of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing rivals in the manner Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, while the team are the league's equal third-top scorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for him to reach the century of points in fewer games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it finally gels. Liverpool remain a team of outstanding skill, able to sparking and catching any opponent for the title, but cohesion is lacking. That can not be blamed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Collective Challenges

The player is not the only established member to experience a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the core of the turmoil that has of late engulfed Liverpool. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant first game against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's death can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he