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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the main part last week with a brace in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming the limelight once more. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Inconsistent Displays

There are many reasons why unsteady, unimpressive performances have been the common thread characterizing the team's opening to their title defence, if they achieved seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's hunt for his ideal lineup, the late forward's tragic death; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his unusually quiet beginning to the campaign.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. Salah will pose the manager with an additional surprise issue, though, should he remain caught in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Display

Liverpool's manager likely seen the irony of Salah's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Struck first time with the exterior of his left foot into the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort came from an very similar spot to his big mistake in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

If that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising the new signing's first sublime pass in the league. Discussions into Salah's drop and Liverpool's unusual defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait goes on while the coach broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two inflicted by last-minute winners and one the result of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was key in driving the side towards a historic 20th league title last season while uncertainty over his long-term plans rumbled in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah this season,” said Slot when his top scorer signed an extension in April. There has been a noticeable decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Drop

His output in terms of goals and setups is down half on the same point the previous term, from a combined 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. The count of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while accurate shots have fallen from fifteen to five, causing a sharp drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

One attribute that has held more steady is his creativity. With twelve key passes, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his numbers are among the best in Europe and comparable in the ranks of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Output

Measures of collective output will trouble the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of last season. This season's count is 39. The numbers are indicative of the squad's problems in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried more attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from distance among the highest. The club's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the league.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the later stage it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as many moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting rivals in the fashion the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though Liverpool remain the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any coach in the club's history (46). Think what his attack will do when it finally gels. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme skill, equipped to starting and chasing any foe for the championship, but unity is lacking. That cannot be blamed on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the core of the disruption that has of late enveloped the club. That extends to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Jota obvious on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The impact of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Strategic Adjustments

Last season, he