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It has been a while, but Liverpool's forward reappeared assuming the main part in recent days with a double in Morocco that confirmed the Egyptian team's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming the spotlight once more. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Variable Displays

We see numerous reasons why variable, unimpressive displays have been the recurring theme running through the team's opening to their title defence, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The upheaval from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his atypically low-key beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's showpiece occasion could provide the catalyst for the cause of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, though, if he stay caught in the disruption much longer.

Recent Form

The team's head coach must have seen the irony of Salah's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Struck immediately with the outside of his left foot inside the front post, his eighth score of the national team's qualification run was from an almost identical location to his costly miss versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that shot with his right been scored shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be praising Florian Wirtz's first superb pass in the Premier League. Analyses into Salah's decline and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's wait persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to last-minute winners and one the result of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was instrumental in propelling the side towards a tying 20th championship the prior campaign while doubt over his long-term plans persisted in the background. We extracted almost the utmost out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in the spring. We have seen a clear drop-off on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and setups is down 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of last season to four (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have dropped from 15 to five, contributing to a steep drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve key passes, versus 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his stats stay among the best in the continent and up in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Display

Measures of team display will worry Slot more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven matches of the previous term. This term's count is 39. These figures are reflective of the squad's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from within the goal area is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from long range among the highest. The club's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action generates the highest quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't beating opponents in the way the coach envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, although Liverpool are the league's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the century of points in fewer games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his forward line will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of outstanding skill, capable of igniting and chasing any rival for the title, but synergy is absent. That cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole key member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. This goes to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Jota clear on that emotional season opener against the Cherries. The impact of his death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he