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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward reappeared playing the main part recently with two goals in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's spot at the global tournament. The main man stepping on center stage another time. The Merseyside club must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Displays

There exist many factors why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the common thread running through the team's start to their title defence, whether they recorded seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The turmoil from multiple new signings, the coach's search for his best XI, the late forward's passing; the winger has endured the effect of them all during his unusually quiet start to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's key fixture could provide the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for more than nine years. Salah will pose Slot with a further unexpected problem, however, if he continue caught in the disruption for an extended period.

Recent Form

Liverpool's head coach likely seen the paradox of the player's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept first time with the exterior of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth goal of Egypt's qualification run originated from an very similar spot to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent pass in the Premier League. Inquests into his decline and the team's infrequent losing streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, two inflicted by late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a tying 20th crown last season while uncertainty over his future persisted in the background. We achieved almost the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a obvious drop-off on an individual and team level since. The team, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a combined eight in the initial seven fixtures of 2024-25 to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, leading to a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the equivalent point of the previous season, his numbers are among the top in Europe and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Measures of collective display will trouble the coach more. He had 76 touches in the opposition box in the initial seven matches of the previous term. The current campaign's count is thirty-nine. The numbers are reflective of the squad's issues in general. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard area is the poorest in the Premier League, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage 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 still the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They aren't hurting opponents in the way the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, although Liverpool remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to reach the 100-point mark in fewer games than any manager in the club's history (46). Think what his attack will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a team of exceptional skill, capable of sparking and catching any foe for the championship, but unity is missing. That cannot be blamed on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Challenges

Salah is not the only established player to experience a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he ends up at the core of the turmoil that has lately affected the club. This goes to a personal level, with his sadness over the passing of Jota clear on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's loss can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

Previously, he