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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared playing the starring role in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The star taking center stage another time. Liverpool must have him to remain there.

Factors for Variable Performances

There are many causes why variable, unimpressive displays have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's opening to their league defense, if they produced a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The upheaval from multiple new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his top team, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the impact of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet opening to the season.

The Weekend's Showpiece Occasion

The weekend's big match could deliver the spark for the cause of a record 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to Anfield and have not won at their biggest foes for more than nine years. The attacker will create the manager with another unexpected problem, yet, if he continue lost in the disruption much longer.

Recent Form

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the irony of Salah's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Struck first time with the outside of his left foot into the close post, his eighth strike of the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign originated from an almost identical position to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that attempt been scored moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would still be celebrating the new signing's first sublime setup in the league. Inquests into Salah's drop and the team's infrequent defeat streak might also have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's search goes on while Slot stews over a third away defeat, a couple inflicted by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing the side towards a historic 20th crown last season while doubt over his future lingered in the background. We achieved almost the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Drop

His production in terms of scores and setups is down half on the corresponding point the previous term, from a total 8 in the first seven fixtures of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this term. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to 12 while efforts on goal have declined from 15 to 5, contributing to a steep fall in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, figures show.

One attribute that has held more steady is Salah's playmaking. With 12 key passes, against fourteen at the same stage of last campaign, his numbers stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Metrics of collective performance will concern the coach more. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This season's total is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken more shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the lowest in the division, their ratio from distance among the highest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we primarily found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Currently we have not seen as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play produces the most xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not hurting rivals in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed recently, although Liverpool remain the league's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for Slot to achieve the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it finally gels. Liverpool remain a team of supreme individual quality, capable of igniting and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is lacking. This cannot be blamed on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Problems

The player is not the sole established member to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to form and the defender laboring. But he ends up at the center of the disruption that has recently affected the club. That applies to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota evident on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's death can neither be quantified nor dismissed.

Strategic Shifts

Previously, he