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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the lead part last week with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The star claiming the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club need him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There are many reasons why inconsistent, unimpressive displays have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they produced a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his atypically subdued beginning to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could provide the catalyst for the cause of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will create Slot with an additional unexpected problem, though, should he continue lost in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Form

The team's manager likely recognized the paradox of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, his eighth score of the national team's qualification run came from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's first superb assist in the Premier League. Analyses into Salah's drop and the team's unusual losing run might as well have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to late goals and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he repeated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship last season while doubt over his future rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the best out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a obvious decline on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the same stage last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from fifteen to five, contributing to a steep drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With 12 chances created, compared with 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his figures are among the finest in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Metrics of collective display will trouble Slot more. He had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This term's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's problems in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their share from outside the area among the greatest. The club's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from open play creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't punishing foes in the fashion the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, while Liverpool are the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to achieve the century of points in fewer games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Consider what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a squad of outstanding individual quality, equipped to igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but synergy is missing. This cannot be attributed on the summer recruits alone.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the only established player to experience a dip, with the midfielder returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he ends up at the center of the upheaval that has of late engulfed Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's loss can not be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he