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It has been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared playing the lead part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man stepping on the limelight yet again. The Reds must have him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Performances

There exist several causes why inconsistent, unconvincing showings have been the common thread characterizing Liverpool's start to their title defence, if they recorded a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet beginning to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's showpiece occasion could offer the catalyst for the source of a record 16 strikes in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with a further unexpected problem, however, should he stay lost in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Display

Liverpool's boss must have noticed the contrast of Salah's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar position to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that attempt been converted moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent setup in the league. Discussions into Salah's decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing run might also have been avoided. Rather, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and one the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as he repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was key in propelling the side towards a historic 20th championship last season while speculation over his future persisted in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a obvious drop-off on an personal and team level from then. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is reduced half on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined 8 in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, leading to a significant decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, versus fourteen at the same stage of last term, his stats remain among the top in the continent and up in the group of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Indicators of team performance will worry Slot more. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the first seven league games of the prior campaign. This season's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's difficulties as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have tried more attempts on goal than them now, but the team's rate of attempts from inside the goal area is the lowest in the Premier League, their percentage from distance among the greatest. The club's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from open play generates the highest quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating foes in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board in the offseason, although the team are the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of exceptional individual quality, equipped to sparking and chasing any foe for the title, but unity is absent. That can not be blamed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Collective Issues

The player is not the sole established member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to fitness and the defender toiling. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has recently enveloped Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with his sadness over the passing of Jota clear on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can not be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he