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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward reappeared playing the lead part last week with a brace in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The star claiming center stage another time. The Merseyside club must have him to remain there.

Factors for Unsteady Showings

We see many reasons why unsteady, lackluster performances have been the common thread defining the team's beginning to their title defence, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from so many summer changes, the coach's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his atypically quiet start to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present the manager with an additional unexpected problem, though, if he stay caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's head coach must have seen the contrast of the player's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, his eighth score of Egypt's qualification run came from an nearly the same spot to his big mistake in the Chelsea match before the international break.

If that attempt been converted shortly after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising the new signing's first sublime assist in the Premier League. Discussions into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might also have been delayed. Rather, Wirtz's search persists while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his future persisted in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the utmost out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an personal and team level since. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His output in terms of scores and assists is lower half on the same point the previous term, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to 5, contributing to a significant fall in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A single trait that has held more steady is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, against 14 at the comparable period of last term, his numbers remain among the finest in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Team Display

Indicators of team performance will concern the coach more. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition box in the initial seven matches of the previous term. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are indicative of the squad's difficulties as a whole. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's proportion of shots from within the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their ratio from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from an individual brilliance from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play produces the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing opponents in the manner Slot planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired recently, while the team are the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of supreme individual quality, capable of igniting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but synergy is absent. That can not be attributed on the summer recruits only.

Personal and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only senior player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender toiling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has recently affected the club. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's grief over the death of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The effect of his tragedy can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Changes

Last season, he