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It has been some time, but Liverpool's forward reappeared taking on the lead part last week with a brace in Morocco that confirmed the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The star stepping on the limelight another time. The Reds require him to keep that position.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

There exist many causes why variable, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining the team's start to their title defence, if they achieved seven wins in a row or, prior to Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The turmoil from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's big match could offer the catalyst for the cause of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not triumphed at their fierce rivals for over nine years. The attacker will pose the manager with an additional surprise issue, yet, if he remain lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's head coach must have seen the contrast of the player's opening strike against the opponent recently. Drilled directly with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical position to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that attempt been scored moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first superb pass in the English top flight. Inquests into his dip and Liverpool's unusual losing run might also have been delayed. Rather, Wirtz's wait goes on while the coach stews over a third consecutive defeat away, a couple inflicted by last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he repeated on Friday, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was key in pushing the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship the previous term while uncertainty over his career persisted in the backdrop. We extracted almost the utmost out of Salah last term,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear decrease on an personal and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the same point the previous term, from a total eight in the first seven fixtures of last season to 4 (two goals and two assists) this term. The count of shots has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have declined from fifteen to five, causing a steep decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, against 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his stats remain among the finest in Europe and up in the ranks of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Display

Metrics of team display will trouble Slot more. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven league games of the previous term. The current campaign's count is 39. The numbers are indicative of the squad's issues as a whole. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the smallest in the division, their ratio from long range among the greatest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the lowest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mostly scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the side that from open play produces the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They aren't hurting foes in the manner the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed in the offseason, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to achieve the century of points in less games than any coach in the club's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of outstanding talent, able to igniting and reeling in any opponent for the title, but unity is lacking. That cannot be pinned on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Team Issues

Salah is not the sole established member to suffer a decline, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender laboring. But he finds himself at the heart of the turmoil that has of late enveloped Liverpool. That applies to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Jota evident on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The influence of his tragedy can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he