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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward was back playing the main part last week with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The star taking the spotlight yet again. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Reasons for Variable Performances

There exist numerous causes why unsteady, lackluster displays have been the common thread defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved seven wins in a row or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on the weekend, a losing run. The upheaval from multiple new signings, the coach's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically low-key start to the term.

The Weekend's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could offer the impetus for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against Manchester United, who are paying their centenary trip to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for over nine years. Salah will pose Slot with another unexpected problem, yet, should he remain caught in the turmoil much longer.

Latest Display

The team's head coach likely seen the paradox of the player's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Drilled directly with the outside of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth strike of Egypt's qualification run came from an almost identical location to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that attempt been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would even now be eulogising Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent assist in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's decline and Liverpool's unusual losing run might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait goes on while Slot broods over a third defeat away, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was instrumental in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship last season while doubt over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We extracted nearly the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in April. There has been a clear drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The team, not the details of a contract, are accountable.

Statistical Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and setups is down 50% on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined 8 in the opening seven matches of last season to four (two goals and two assists) this season. His number of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, leading to a steep fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With twelve key passes, against 14 at the same stage of last term, his stats stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Output

Indicators of collective output will trouble Slot more. He had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the first seven league games of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the squad's issues overall. Just United and Arsenal have taken a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the lowest in the division, their share from distance among the greatest. The club's proportion of shots on target – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the competition.

“In the first half of last season we mainly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as many acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing rivals in the fashion Slot imagined when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were brought on board recently, while the team are the league's third-best scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in fewer games than any manager in the club's history (46). Think what his attack will do when it clicks. The side are still a team of exceptional individual quality, equipped to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but cohesion is absent. This cannot be pinned on the summer recruits by themselves.

Personal and Collective Issues

The player is not the only senior player to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister regaining to fitness and the defender laboring. But he ends up at the center of the disruption that has of late affected Liverpool. That applies to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's death can not be assessed nor ignored.

Strategic Adjustments

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