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It has been a while, but the Egyptian star was back playing the main part in recent days with two goals in Morocco that sealed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight once more. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Factors for Unsteady Showings

We see many factors why variable, unimpressive displays have been the common thread running through the team's opening to their championship defense, whether they produced a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from multiple offseason moves, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, the late forward's loss; Salah has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually subdued start to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for the club against United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for over nine years. Salah will pose Slot with an additional unexpected problem, however, if he remain caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Display

Liverpool's head coach likely seen the paradox of the player's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Struck directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualification run came from an very similar position to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's infrequent losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait goes on while the coach broods over a third away defeat, a couple due to late goals and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was instrumental in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title last season while speculation over his career persisted in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The team, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and assists is down half on the corresponding point the prior campaign, from a total eight in the opening seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) the current campaign. His number of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have fallen from fifteen to 5, causing a significant fall in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, data show.

One attribute that has held more steady is Salah's creativity. With 12 key passes, versus 14 at the equivalent point of last campaign, his stats remain among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective performance will trouble the coach more. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of the prior campaign. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the team's difficulties as a whole. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play creates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing opponents in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed recently, although the team are the league's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his attack will do when it clicks. The side are still a squad of supreme skill, able to sparking and catching any rival for the championship, but unity is lacking. This cannot be pinned on the recent arrivals only.

Individual and Team Problems

The player is not the only established member to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the center of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's grief over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The influence of Jota's death can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Last season, he