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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah returned playing the starring role in recent days with a brace in Casablanca that confirmed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the limelight once more. The Reds need him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Displays

We see several causes why inconsistent, unimpressive displays have been the common thread running through the team's start to their league defense, if they recorded a winning streak or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from so many offseason moves, the coach's hunt for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his atypically subdued start to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could provide the impetus for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are making their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with a further unexpected problem, though, should he continue caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Current Display

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the contrast of the player's first goal against Djibouti recently. Struck immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run came from an very similar location to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first superb setup in the league. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's infrequent losing run might also have been delayed. Rather, the midfielder's search persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple due to late goals and one the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was crucial in propelling the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his long-term plans lingered in the backdrop. We achieved nearly the maximum out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Drop

His contribution in terms of scores and setups is lower half on the same stage the previous term, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a sharp fall in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A single trait that has held more steady is his playmaking. With 12 opportunities made, against 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his figures stay among the best in Europe and up in the company of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Performance

Measures of collective output will worry the coach further. He had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven fixtures of the previous term. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from inside the goal area is the lowest in the top flight, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is as well among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we lack as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from live action generates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing opponents in the fashion Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were brought on board this summer, though Liverpool are the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to reach the century of points in fewer games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. The side remain a team of outstanding talent, able to starting and reeling in any opponent for the title, but cohesion is missing. This cannot be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Challenges

Salah is not the sole established member to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to form and the defender laboring. But he finds himself at the center of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. This applies to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The effect of his tragedy can neither be measured nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he