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It has been some time, but the Egyptian star reappeared taking on the starring role last week with two goals in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming center stage yet again. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Performances

We see many factors why inconsistent, lackluster showings have been the frequent pattern characterizing Liverpool's opening to their league defense, whether they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from multiple summer changes, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has felt the effect of them all during his atypically quiet opening to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the origin of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for Liverpool against United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will create the manager with an additional unforeseen dilemma, though, if he continue lost in the upheaval indefinitely.

Current Performance

Liverpool's boss must have seen the contrast of the player's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an nearly the same location to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that right-foot effort been scored moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's maiden excellent setup in the Premier League. Analyses into his decline and the team's unusual losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait persists while Slot stews over a third loss on the road, two due to last-minute winners and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot repeated on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was crucial in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship last season while doubt over his career rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought almost the utmost out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. We have seen a obvious decrease on an individual and team level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of goals and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined 8 in the opening seven fixtures of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has decreased from 22 to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, leading to a sharp drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his playmaking. With twelve chances created, against 14 at the comparable period of the previous season, his numbers are among the top in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Performance

Indicators of team display will trouble Slot more. He had 76 touches in the enemy box in the opening seven matches of the previous term. This season's tally is thirty-nine. The numbers are indicative of the squad's problems as a whole. Only United and the Gunners have attempted a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from within the goal area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from distance among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we primarily scored from a moment of magic from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play generates the most quality opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't punishing foes in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed recently, while the team remain the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be enough for Slot to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in the club's past (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a team of supreme individual quality, equipped to igniting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but synergy is missing. That cannot be pinned on the recent arrivals alone.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the sole key player to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder regaining to form and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has lately engulfed the club. This applies to a individual level, with his grief over the passing of Jota clear on that heartfelt opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can not be quantified nor overlooked.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he