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It has been a period, but the Egyptian star was back taking on the lead part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight once more. Liverpool must have him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Showings

There exist several factors why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's start to their championship defense, if they produced a winning streak or, before Manchester United's visit to Anfield on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from multiple offseason moves, Arne Slot's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the season.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's key fixture could offer the catalyst for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for more than nine years. Salah will pose Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, however, should he continue caught in the turmoil for an extended period.

Recent Form

Liverpool's boss likely recognized the paradox of the player's opening strike against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept first time with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, his eighth strike of the national team's qualification run came from an nearly the same location to his expensive error in the Chelsea match before the break for internationals.

If that attempt been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would even now be eulogising the new signing's first superb assist in the Premier League. Analyses into his dip and Liverpool's infrequent defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach broods over a third defeat away, a couple caused by dying-minute strikes and one the result of a disputed penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Last Season's Influence

The forward was key in pushing the side towards a historic 20th championship last season while doubt over his future rumbled in the background. “We brought nearly the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said the manager when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a clear decline on an personal and collective level from then. The team, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the corresponding stage the previous term, from a total eight in the initial seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. The count of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, causing a significant decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is his playmaking. With 12 key passes, against 14 at the same stage of last campaign, his figures remain among the top in the continent and up in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Team Performance

Metrics of team display will trouble Slot further. He had 76 touches in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of the prior campaign. The current campaign's tally is thirty-nine. The stats are reflective of the squad's difficulties in general. Only United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but the team's percentage of attempts from within the goal area is the smallest in the division, their share from long range among the greatest. The club's rate of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mostly found the net from a moment of magic from a forward and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from live action produces the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not hurting foes in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak were acquired recently, while the team stay the division's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (46). Consider what his forward line will do when it clicks. The side are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, equipped to starting and reeling in any foe for the title, but cohesion is absent. This can not be attributed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Team Issues

The player is not the only key player to experience a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté toiling. But he is at the core of the turmoil that has of late affected the club. This extends to a individual level, with his sorrow over the loss of Jota evident on that poignant opening night against the Cherries. The impact of his loss can not be measured nor overlooked.

Tactical Adjustments

Last season, he