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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward returned playing the lead part in recent days with a double in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the global tournament. The main man taking the limelight once more. The Merseyside club need him to stay there.

Factors for Variable Displays

There are several factors why variable, unconvincing performances have been the recurring theme running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, if they produced a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has experienced the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with a further unexpected problem, however, if he stay caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Latest Performance

Liverpool's manager likely recognized the irony of the player's first goal against the opponent recently. Struck directly with the exterior of his left foot inside the front post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualification run originated from an nearly the same position to his costly miss in the Chelsea match before the national team pause.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent pass in the league. Inquests into Salah's dip and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot broods over a third defeat away, two due to dying-minute strikes and one the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was key in propelling Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown the prior campaign while uncertainty over his career persisted in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a obvious decrease on an personal and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the opening seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to twelve while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a significant fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With twelve key passes, versus fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers are among the finest in Europe and up in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Performance

Indicators of collective display will trouble Slot further. Salah had 76 contacts in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the previous term. This season's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are symptomatic of the team's difficulties in general. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted more shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the Premier League, their share from long range among the greatest. The club's rate of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the weakest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we mainly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from live action creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing foes in the manner the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed this summer, although Liverpool remain the division's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for Slot to attain the century of points in fewer games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding skill, capable of starting and catching any foe for the title, but synergy is missing. That cannot be attributed on the new signings only.

Personal and Team Problems

Salah is not the only established player to suffer a dip, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has lately engulfed the club. That goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The effect of his loss can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he