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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward was back taking on the main part recently with a double in Morocco that sealed Egypt's position at the 2026 World Cup. The main man taking the spotlight once more. Liverpool need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Performances

We see many factors why unsteady, lackluster showings have been the common thread defining the team's start to their title defence, if they achieved a winning streak or, prior to the Red Devils' arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from so many summer changes, Arne Slot's quest for his top team, Diogo Jota's loss; the winger has endured the consequences of them all during his atypically quiet opening to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's big match could provide the spark for the origin of a impressive 16 strikes in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are paying their 100th visit to the stadium and have not succeeded at their biggest foes for almost a decade. The attacker will create the manager with another surprise issue, however, should he continue caught in the turmoil much longer.

Current Performance

Liverpool's manager likely recognized the paradox of Salah's first goal against Djibouti recently. Struck first time with the exterior of his stronger foot into the close post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar spot to his big mistake versus Chelsea before the national team pause.

If that shot with his right been scored shortly after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating the new signing's first excellent assist in the Premier League. Discussions into his dip and the team's unusual defeat streak might also have been delayed. Instead, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot stews over a third consecutive loss on the road, two due to last-minute winners and another the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Narrow differences, as he reiterated on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Influence

The forward was key in driving Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th crown last season while speculation over his long-term plans rumbled in the background. We achieved almost the maximum out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his top scorer signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Decrease

His contribution in terms of scores and setups is reduced half on the same point the prior campaign, from a total 8 in the opening seven fixtures of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of attempts has decreased from 22 to twelve while efforts on goal have fallen from 15 to five, contributing to a steep decline in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

A single trait that has stayed stable is Salah's creativity. With 12 chances created, versus 14 at the comparable period of last term, his figures remain among the finest in Europe and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years respectively.

Collective Output

Metrics of team performance will concern the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the initial seven matches of the prior campaign. This season's tally is 39. These figures are symptomatic of the team's issues in general. Only United and Arsenal have attempted more shots on goal than them now, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from within the goal area is the smallest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. The club's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is as well among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a set piece,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as numerous moments of genius and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from open play generates the highest quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't beating foes in the way the coach planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board recently, though Liverpool remain the league's third-best scorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in Liverpool's history (46). Think what his offense will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of supreme skill, equipped to igniting and catching any rival for the title, but unity is absent. This cannot be pinned on the new signings by themselves.

Individual and Team Challenges

Salah is not the sole key member to experience a drop-off, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and the defender laboring. But he finds himself at the core of the upheaval that has of late engulfed Liverpool. This extends to a personal level, with Salah's sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's loss can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Adjustments

Previously, he