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It's been a while, but the Egyptian star reappeared playing the lead part last week with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's position at the global tournament. The key player taking the spotlight another time. The Merseyside club need him to remain there.

Reasons for Inconsistent Performances

There are several causes why variable, unconvincing displays have been the recurring theme characterizing the team's start to their championship defense, if they achieved seven straight victories or, before Manchester United's trip to Anfield on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from multiple new signings, the coach's hunt for his best XI, the late forward's passing; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet start to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

The weekend's big match could offer the impetus for the cause of a impressive 16 goals in 17 appearances for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. Salah will present Slot with another unexpected problem, however, if he stay lost in the turmoil indefinitely.

Recent Performance

The team's boss likely seen the paradox of the player's opening strike against the opponent recently. Swept directly with the outside of his left foot into the front post, his eighth score of Egypt's qualifying effort was from an very similar spot to his big mistake against Chelsea before the break for internationals.

If that attempt been converted moments after the restart at Stamford Bridge we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden superb assist in the English top flight. Inquests into his decline and Liverpool's infrequent losing streak might as well have been postponed. Rather, Wirtz's wait continues while Slot stews over a third consecutive away defeat, two due to dying-minute strikes and one the result of a disputed penalty. Fine lines, as Slot emphasized on recently, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Contribution

Salah was instrumental in driving the side towards a historic 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his career rumbled in the backdrop. We extracted nearly the best out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed a new two‑year contract in the spring. There has been a noticeable drop-off on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the details of a deal, are to blame.

Performance Drop

His production in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same point last season, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His number of shots has fallen from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have declined from 15 to five, contributing to a sharp decline in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, data show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is Salah's chance creation. With twelve key passes, compared with 14 at the same stage of the previous season, his numbers remain among the finest in Europe and up in the company of young talents and Arda Güler, his juniors by 15 and 13 years respectively.

Team Performance

Metrics of team display will worry the coach further. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the enemy box in the initial seven league games of the prior campaign. This term's count is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the team's issues overall. Just United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's proportion of attempts from inside the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their share from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's proportion of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the poorest in the league.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action creates the highest quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating opponents in the fashion the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, the French forward and Alexander Isak were acquired in the offseason, although the team remain the division's equal third-top scorers. A draw on Sunday would be enough for him to attain the 100-point total in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool are still a squad of outstanding talent, able to igniting and chasing any foe for the title, but cohesion is missing. This cannot be attributed on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Team Challenges

Salah is not the sole key player to experience a dip, with the midfielder regaining to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the heart of the upheaval that has of late engulfed Liverpool. This goes to a personal level, with his grief over the passing of Diogo Jota evident on that emotional opening night against the Cherries. The influence of his loss can neither be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he