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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah returned taking on the main part last week with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking center stage another time. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

We see numerous causes why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the common thread defining Liverpool's beginning to their title defence, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from multiple summer changes, the coach's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his unusually quiet start to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could deliver the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will pose Slot with another surprise issue, yet, if he remain caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Current Display

Liverpool's boss likely seen the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent recently. Drilled first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an very similar spot to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

If that attempt been converted moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden sublime pass in the Premier League. Discussions into his drop and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might as well have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot broods over a third loss on the road, two caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as he repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was key in propelling the side towards a tying 20th league title the prior campaign while doubt over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in April. There has been a noticeable decline on an personal and collective level from then. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, causing a sharp drop in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's playmaking. With 12 key passes, compared with fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his stats stay among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of team performance will trouble Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This season's tally is 39. These figures are reflective of the squad's difficulties in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the Premier League, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's rate of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Now we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play produces the highest quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating rivals in the fashion the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, although the team remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for him to achieve the century of points in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it does settle. The side remain a team of outstanding skill, equipped to starting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but synergy is absent. That cannot be blamed on the summer recruits alone.

Personal and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole key member to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the core of the upheaval that has recently enveloped the club. This applies to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Jota evident on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The effect of his death can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he