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It's been a while, but Mohamed Salah reappeared assuming the starring role last week with a brace in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's place at the global tournament. The star taking the spotlight another time. The Reds require him to keep that position.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

There are many reasons why unsteady, unconvincing showings have been the frequent pattern running through Liverpool's start to their league defense, whether they produced a winning streak or, before the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, Diogo Jota's tragic death; the winger has experienced the consequences of them all during his unusually low-key beginning to the term.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's big match could deliver the impetus for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against Manchester United, who are paying their 100th visit to Anfield and have not triumphed at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, yet, should he stay caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Form

The team's boss likely seen the contrast of Salah's first goal against Djibouti last Wednesday. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot into the front post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same spot to his costly miss against Chelsea prior to the national team pause.

Had that attempt been converted shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first excellent assist in the league. Inquests into Salah's decline and the team's infrequent losing streak might also have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's wait persists while the coach stews over a third loss on the road, two caused by last-minute winners and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he emphasized on recently, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in pushing the side towards a historic 20th championship the prior campaign while uncertainty over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. “We brought almost the maximum out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a noticeable decline on an personal and team level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are accountable.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and setups is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined 8 in the opening seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) this season. His number of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a significant decline in shot accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With twelve key passes, compared with 14 at the same stage of last term, his figures stay among the best in Europe and comparable in the company of young talents and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Output

Measures of team display will worry the coach more. He had 76 touches in the enemy penalty area in the first seven league games of the previous term. This season's count is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the squad's difficulties as a whole. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have tried a greater number of attempts on goal than Liverpool this season, but the team's rate of attempts from inside the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their ratio from outside the area among the top. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the second half it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from set pieces. But we are still the side that from open play generates the most expected goals opportunities.”

Recent Additions

They are not punishing rivals in the fashion Slot envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were signed recently, although the team stay the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any coach in the club's past (forty-six). Think what his offense will do when it does settle. Liverpool are still a squad of exceptional skill, equipped to sparking and chasing any foe for the championship, but synergy is absent. That cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Individual and Team Problems

Salah is not the only established member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to form and Ibrahima Konaté laboring. But he is at the center of the disruption that has recently affected the club. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Diogo Jota clear on that heartfelt first game against Bournemouth. The influence of Jota's death can not be measured nor ignored.

Strategic Changes

Last season, he