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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared playing the lead part in recent days with two goals in Casablanca that sealed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The main man stepping on the limelight once more. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Displays

There exist many reasons why variable, unimpressive showings have been the frequent pattern defining the team's start to their title defence, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before Manchester United's visit to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from so many offseason moves, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; Salah has felt the consequences of them all during his atypically subdued beginning to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's big match could offer the spark for the source of a impressive 16 goals in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will create Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, however, should he stay caught in the disruption much longer.

Latest Form

The team's head coach must have recognized the contrast of Salah's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Struck directly with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run originated from an nearly the same spot to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

If that attempt been converted shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the Premier League. Analyses into his decline and the team's infrequent losing streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, the midfielder's search continues while Slot broods over a third defeat away, a couple due to late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a historic 20th league title last season while uncertainty over his career lingered in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Salah this season,” said the manager when his top scorer signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

His output in terms of goals and setups is reduced half on the same stage the previous term, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of attempts has decreased from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from fifteen to five, causing a significant decline in conversion rate (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has held more steady is his playmaking. With twelve key passes, against 14 at the comparable period of last campaign, his numbers stay among the top in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by fifteen and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Output

Measures of collective display will concern Slot more. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This season's tally is 39. These figures are indicative of the team's difficulties in general. Just United and Arsenal have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of attempts from within the six-yard area is the lowest in the Premier League, their share from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's rate of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

During the initial phase of last season we mostly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” the manager said. “Currently we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from general play creates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They are not hurting opponents in the fashion the coach planned when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were acquired in the offseason, though the team stay the division's equal third-top scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any coach in Liverpool's history (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it does settle. Liverpool remain a squad of outstanding skill, able to igniting and catching any rival for the championship, but synergy is absent. This cannot be attributed on the new signings only.

Individual and Team Problems

The player is not the sole key member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder returning to fitness and the defender struggling. But he finds himself at the heart of the disruption that has lately enveloped Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with Salah's sorrow over the passing of Diogo Jota obvious on that poignant opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

In the prior campaign, he