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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the lead part last week with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's spot at the global tournament. The main man stepping on center stage another time. The Reds must have him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

We see several causes why variable, unimpressive displays have been the common thread characterizing the team's beginning to their league defense, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from so many new signings, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's key fixture could offer the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. The attacker will present Slot with another unexpected problem, however, should he continue caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's boss must have recognized the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent in midweek. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an nearly the same location to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

If that right-foot effort been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's first superb assist in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's rare losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while Slot fumes over a third away defeat, two caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th league title the prior campaign while doubt over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the best out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is down half on the same stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to five, leading to a steep decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Output

Metrics of team output will trouble the coach more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven league games of the previous term. This season's total is 39. The numbers are reflective of the squad's issues overall. Only United and the Gunners have tried more shots on goal than them in the current term, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the goal area is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from long range among the highest. The club's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action generates the highest xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting foes in the way the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, while the team are the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to attain the century of points in less games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Imagine what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a squad of exceptional skill, equipped to igniting and reeling in any rival for the title, but synergy is lacking. That can not be pinned on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only established player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the core of the disruption that has lately affected Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the death of Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The impact of his death can neither be quantified nor ignored.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he