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It's been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back assuming the starring role in recent days with a double in Casablanca that confirmed the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The star stepping on the spotlight yet again. Liverpool must have him to stay there.

Factors for Inconsistent Showings

We see numerous reasons why inconsistent, unconvincing performances have been the recurring theme characterizing Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on the weekend, three losses in a row. The turmoil from numerous offseason moves, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's tragic death; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

The weekend's showpiece occasion could provide the spark for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th visit to the stadium and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present Slot with another unexpected problem, however, if he continue caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Recent Performance

Liverpool's manager must have noticed the contrast of Salah's opening strike against the opponent recently. Drilled immediately with the outside of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same spot to his costly miss in the Chelsea match before the break for internationals.

If that attempt been converted shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first superb setup in the English top flight. Discussions into his drop and Liverpool's unusual losing streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, the midfielder's wait continues while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, two caused by last-minute winners and another the result of a disputed penalty. Narrow differences, as he repeated on recently, but they do not mask underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in propelling the side towards a record-equalling 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future rumbled in the backdrop. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in the spring. There has been a clear drop-off on an individual and team level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are accountable.

Performance Decline

His output in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the same stage last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this season. His number of attempts has fallen from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have declined from fifteen to five, leading to a sharp fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is his chance creation. With 12 opportunities made, versus 14 at the equivalent point of the previous season, his figures remain among the finest in Europe and comparable in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Display

Indicators of team output will concern the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the enemy penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of last season. This season's total is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the squad's issues overall. Just Manchester United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool this season, but Liverpool's percentage of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the greatest. The club's rate of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly scored from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was mostly from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the side that from general play creates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not punishing foes in the manner Slot planned when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, though Liverpool stay the division's third-best scorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the century of points in less games than any boss in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Consider what his attack will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a team of outstanding skill, capable of sparking and reeling in any rival for the title, but synergy is lacking. This can not be attributed on the new signings by themselves.

Personal and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only established player to suffer a drop-off, with the midfielder returning to form and the defender laboring. But he is at the core of the disruption that has of late engulfed the club. That extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Diogo Jota evident on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's death can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he