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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah reappeared taking on the starring role in recent days with a brace in Morocco that secured the Egyptian team's position at the upcoming World Cup. The key player claiming the spotlight once more. The Merseyside club must have him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Displays

We see numerous causes why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme defining Liverpool's beginning to their league defense, whether they achieved seven straight victories or, before the Red Devils' visit to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from so many summer changes, the coach's search for his ideal lineup, Diogo Jota's passing; the winger has experienced the effect of them all during his atypically quiet opening to the season.

Sunday's Big Match

The weekend's key fixture could provide the spark for the origin of a record 16 goals in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will present the manager with an additional unforeseen dilemma, yet, if he continue lost in the upheaval much longer.

Latest Performance

The team's manager likely recognized the irony of Salah's opening strike against Djibouti in midweek. Swept first time with the outside of his left foot into the near post, Salah's eighth score of Egypt's qualification run originated from an nearly the same location to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the break for internationals.

Had that attempt been converted moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising Florian Wirtz's first sublime pass in the English top flight. Analyses into his drop and Liverpool's unusual losing run might as well have been delayed. Rather, Wirtz's search goes on while Slot broods over a third loss on the road, a couple inflicted by dying-minute strikes and another the result of a debatable penalty. Small margins, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was key in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th championship the prior campaign while speculation over his long-term plans persisted in the backdrop. “We brought nearly the maximum out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a obvious decline on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and assists is lower 50% on the corresponding stage the prior campaign, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His number of shots has fallen from twenty-two to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, contributing to a sharp drop in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is his playmaking. With twelve opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the same stage of last term, his stats remain among the top in the continent and comparable in the ranks of young talents and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Collective Performance

Measures of team performance will trouble the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the initial seven fixtures of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is 39. The stats are symptomatic of the squad's difficulties in general. Just Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool in the current term, but Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the lowest in the top flight, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of accurate shots – 28.4% – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily found the net from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are still the team that from live action produces the most expected goals opportunities.”

New Signings

They are not punishing rivals in the manner Slot planned when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were acquired this summer, although Liverpool are the division's equal third-top goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding individual quality, able to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the title, but synergy is missing. That can not be attributed on the new signings only.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the sole established member to suffer a dip, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has of late enveloped the club. This goes to a individual level, with his grief over the loss of Diogo Jota clear on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The effect of his loss can not be quantified nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

In the prior campaign, he