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It's been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the main part in recent days with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on center stage another time. The Merseyside club require him to remain there.

Causes for Unsteady Showings

We see several factors why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the common thread defining the team's start to their title defence, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' arrival to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The disruption from so many summer changes, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has felt the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the campaign.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

Sunday's key fixture could offer the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will pose the manager with an additional unexpected problem, yet, should he remain caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's boss likely recognized the contrast of Salah's initial score against Djibouti in midweek. Struck immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the near post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an very similar position to his expensive error against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that shot with his right been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first excellent pass in the English top flight. Inquests into Salah's decline and Liverpool's rare losing run might as well have been delayed. Instead, the midfielder's search continues while the coach fumes over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they cannot hide bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a historic 20th championship last season while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted almost the maximum out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable drop-off on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

His production in terms of goals and setups is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total eight in the opening seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while shots on target have dropped from fifteen to five, causing a significant drop in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With 12 key passes, versus 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers stay among the top in the continent and comparable in the group of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Display

Metrics of collective output will concern Slot more. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the initial seven fixtures of the previous term. This term's tally is thirty-nine. These figures are indicative of the team's problems overall. Only United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the division, their ratio from distance among the top. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we lack as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play generates the most xG chances.”

New Signings

They are not punishing foes in the way Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, while the team remain the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to reach the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of exceptional talent, equipped to starting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but synergy is absent. This can not be attributed on the summer recruits alone.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the sole established player to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he ends up at the center of the disruption that has lately enveloped the club. That goes to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant opening night against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's tragedy can not be assessed nor dismissed.

Strategic Adjustments

Last season, he