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It's been some time, but Mohamed Salah returned assuming the starring role recently with a brace in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The main man claiming the limelight yet again. The Merseyside club require him to stay there.

Factors for Variable Performances

We see numerous reasons why variable, lackluster performances have been the frequent pattern defining the team's beginning to their championship defense, whether they produced seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on the weekend, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous summer changes, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, the late forward's passing; Salah has endured the effect of them all during his atypically subdued start to the season.

The Weekend's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not triumphed at their biggest foes for almost a decade. The attacker will present the manager with a further unforeseen dilemma, however, if he continue caught in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Form

Liverpool's manager must have recognized the paradox of Salah's initial score against Djibouti recently. Struck immediately with the exterior of his stronger foot into the front post, Salah's eighth strike of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign came from an very similar location to his expensive error against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

Had that shot with his right been finished moments after the resumption at Stamford Bridge we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first sublime setup in the league. Inquests into his drop and the team's rare losing run might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, two due to dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they do not camouflage underlying concerns.

Last Season's Contribution

Salah was key in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th league title the prior campaign while uncertainty over his future lingered in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the maximum out of Mo last term,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a fresh deal in April. There has been a obvious drop-off on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of goals and assists is reduced 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined 8 in the first seven league games of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while shots on target have declined from 15 to 5, leading to a steep drop in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, data show.

A particular skill that has remained consistent is Salah's playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, versus fourteen at the equivalent point of the previous season, his numbers are among the best in Europe and up in the group of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Performance

Measures of collective display will worry Slot further. Salah had 76 touches in the enemy box in the first seven matches of the prior campaign. The current campaign's count is 39. The numbers are reflective of the team's problems overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more shots on goal than them in the current term, but Liverpool's percentage of shots from inside the six-yard area is the lowest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. The club's percentage of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the weakest in the league.

“In the first half 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 set piece,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as many moments of genius and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the team that from open play generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing opponents in the manner Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were signed in the offseason, while Liverpool are the league's equal third-top scorers. A tie on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the century of points in less games than any manager in the club's history (46). Imagine what his attack will do when it does settle. The side remain a squad of exceptional individual quality, able to sparking and chasing any foe for the championship, but synergy is lacking. That can not be attributed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the only key member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he is at the heart of the disruption that has recently affected Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's tragedy can not be assessed nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he