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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the starring role last week with two goals in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on the limelight another time. The Reds need him to stay there.

Causes for Unsteady Displays

There exist numerous causes why variable, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's beginning to their championship defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple summer changes, the coach's quest for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has endured the effect of them all during his atypically low-key beginning to the season.

Sunday's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could offer the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for almost a decade. Salah will present Slot with another unforeseen dilemma, however, if he stay caught in the upheaval for an extended period.

Current Form

Liverpool's head coach likely noticed the contrast of Salah's first goal against the opponent recently. Swept first time with the outside of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an very similar location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been finished shortly after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden superb pass in the Premier League. Inquests into Salah's drop and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's search persists while the coach fumes over a third consecutive defeat away, two caused by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as Slot emphasized on Friday, but they do not camouflage bigger issues.

Last Season's Impact

The forward was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th championship last season while speculation over his career rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear drop-off on an individual and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same stage the previous term, from a combined eight in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, causing a significant drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is Salah's creativity. With twelve opportunities made, compared with 14 at the comparable period of last term, his figures are among the top in the continent and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Collective Output

Metrics of collective output will worry Slot more. He had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of the previous term. The current campaign's count is 39. The stats are indicative of the team's issues overall. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have attempted more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's rate of shots from within the six-yard box is the lowest in the Premier League, their ratio from distance among the greatest. The club's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is as well among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly scored from an individual brilliance from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play produces the most xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating opponents in the manner Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed in the offseason, though Liverpool stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in the club's history (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of supreme individual quality, equipped to starting and chasing any opponent for the championship, but synergy is missing. This can not be blamed on the new signings only.

Personal and Collective Problems

The player is not the sole established player to experience a dip, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the center of the turmoil that has lately affected Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his grief over the passing of Jota evident on that poignant season opener against the Cherries. The effect of his loss can neither be measured nor overlooked.

Strategic Adjustments

Last season, he