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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star returned taking on the main part last week with two goals in Morocco that secured Egypt's place at the global tournament. The main man claiming the limelight once more. The Reds must have him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Showings

We see several reasons why variable, lackluster performances have been the common thread running through Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' visit to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, a losing run. The turmoil from numerous offseason moves, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key beginning to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. The attacker will create the manager with an additional unexpected problem, though, should he continue lost in the upheaval much longer.

Current Form

Liverpool's manager must have noticed the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Drilled immediately with the outside of his left foot inside the near post, his eighth score of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an very similar spot to his costly miss in the Chelsea match before the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Inquests into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while the coach stews over a third away defeat, a couple caused by late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot repeated on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was key in driving the side towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable decline on an individual and team level since. The team, not the details of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His production in terms of goals and assists is lower half on the corresponding point last season, from a total 8 in the opening seven matches of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. The count of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have dropped from fifteen to 5, leading to a steep decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, figures show.

A single trait that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, against 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his figures remain among the best in the continent and comparable in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years each.

Collective Performance

Measures of team display will trouble the coach additionally. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's total is 39. The stats are indicative of the team's issues overall. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than them in the current term, but the team's proportion of shots from within the six-yard box is the smallest in the Premier League, their share from distance among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we primarily scored from an individual brilliance from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from general play produces the highest xG chances.”

New Signings

They aren't hurting opponents in the manner the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, although the team remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in the club's past (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it clicks. The side are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, equipped to sparking and reeling in any foe for the title, but unity is lacking. This can not be blamed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole senior player to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the heart of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. This applies to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The influence of his death can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he