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It has been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared assuming the lead part recently with a brace in Casablanca that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the global tournament. The star stepping on center stage yet again. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Variable Performances

There are numerous reasons why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's opening to their championship defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from numerous summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the effect of them all during his uncharacteristically subdued opening to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's key fixture could deliver the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, yet, if he stay caught in the disruption much longer.

Recent Performance

The team's manager likely seen the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent in midweek. Drilled first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of the national team's qualifying effort came from an almost identical spot to his big mistake against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been scored moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first sublime pass in the English top flight. Analyses into his drop and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might as well have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third away defeat, two caused by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was instrumental in driving Liverpool towards a historic 20th crown last season while doubt over his future persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a noticeable decline on an personal and team level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and assists is reduced half on the corresponding point the previous term, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. The count of shots has dropped from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, causing a steep drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, statistics show.

A particular skill that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With 12 chances created, compared with fourteen at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Measures of team output will concern Slot more. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition box in the first seven league games of last season. The current campaign's total is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the team's difficulties overall. Only United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the division, their ratio from distance among the greatest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from live action produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating rivals in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, though Liverpool remain the division's third-best goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to attain the century of points in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Think what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional talent, equipped to starting and catching any foe for the title, but synergy is absent. That cannot be blamed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Collective Challenges

The player is not the sole established player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and the defender laboring. But he finds himself at the core of the disruption that has of late enveloped the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the loss of Jota evident on that poignant season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can neither be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

Last season, he