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It's been some time, but the Egyptian star was back playing the lead part recently with two goals in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The key player stepping on the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

We see several reasons why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the common thread running through Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they produced seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's search for his top team, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the impact of them all during his atypically low-key beginning to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could provide the spark for the cause of a record 16 strikes in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for almost a decade. The attacker will create Slot with an additional surprise issue, however, if he stay lost in the upheaval much longer.

Current Form

Liverpool's manager must have seen the paradox of the player's first goal against the opponent in midweek. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical location to his big mistake versus Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been converted moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent pass in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's unusual defeat streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive defeat away, two due to last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was key in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the best out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear decline on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is down 50% on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the first seven league games of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. The count of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to five, contributing to a steep drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 chances created, versus fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his stats remain among the best in the continent and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Display

Measures of collective performance will trouble Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the first seven league games of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is 39. The numbers are indicative of the squad's problems as a whole. Just United and Arsenal have attempted more attempts on goal than them in the current term, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the top. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action creates the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't hurting foes in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, although Liverpool remain the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to reach the century of points in less games than any boss in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme individual quality, capable of sparking and reeling in any rival for the title, but unity is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Challenges

Salah is not the sole established member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has lately enveloped the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that poignant opening night against the Cherries. The impact of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor ignored.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he