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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward returned taking on the main part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's spot at the global tournament. The star claiming the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Unsteady Showings

There exist numerous causes why unsteady, unconvincing performances have been the recurring theme defining the team's opening to their championship defense, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from so many new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key opening to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could provide the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for almost a decade. Salah will present the manager with another unexpected problem, however, if he remain caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Form

Liverpool's manager likely seen the irony of the player's first goal against Djibouti recently. Drilled directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the front post, his eighth score of Egypt's qualifying effort originated from an very similar location to his expensive error in the Chelsea match before the international break.

If that attempt been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent assist in the Premier League. Analyses into Salah's decline and the team's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait goes on while the coach broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two due to late goals and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Last Season's Influence

Salah was instrumental in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We achieved almost the best out of Mo last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The squad, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and setups is down 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of shots has fallen from 22 to twelve while accurate shots have dropped from fifteen to five, causing a significant fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, versus fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his figures remain among the best in the continent and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Output

Indicators of collective display will concern Slot additionally. Salah had 76 touches in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This season's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's problems as a whole. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action generates the most xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting foes in the manner Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, while Liverpool stay the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to achieve the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's history (forty-six). Think what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side are still a team of supreme skill, capable of igniting and reeling in any rival for the championship, but synergy is absent. This can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Collective Problems

Salah is not the only key member to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender struggling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has recently affected the club. That goes to a individual level, with his grief over the loss of Jota obvious on that emotional first game against the Cherries. The influence of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he