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It has been some time, but Mohamed Salah returned taking on the lead part in recent days with a double in Morocco that sealed the Egyptian team's spot at the global tournament. The star claiming center stage another time. The Reds need him to keep that position.

Factors for Unsteady Displays

There exist many reasons why variable, unimpressive showings have been the recurring theme defining the team's opening to their league defense, if they produced seven wins in a row or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The upheaval from so many new signings, the coach's quest for his ideal lineup, the late forward's loss; Salah has endured the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the impetus for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. Salah will create Slot with another unexpected problem, however, if he continue caught in the disruption much longer.

Latest Form

The team's manager likely recognized the irony of the player's opening strike against the opponent in midweek. Struck directly with the outside of his left foot inside the close post, his eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort originated from an almost identical spot to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be celebrating Florian Wirtz's maiden excellent pass in the English top flight. Discussions into his dip and Liverpool's rare defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach broods over a third consecutive defeat away, two inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Small margins, as he emphasized on Friday, but they cannot hide underlying concerns.

Previous Campaign's Influence

Salah was key in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while speculation over his future rumbled in the background. “We brought almost the utmost out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a obvious decrease on an personal and team level since. The lineup, not the terms of a contract, are responsible.

Performance Drop

The 33-year-old's output in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same stage the previous term, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. His tally of shots has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while accurate shots have declined from 15 to five, causing a significant fall in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is Salah's chance creation. With twelve chances created, compared with fourteen at the same stage of the previous season, his figures stay among the finest in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Performance

Measures of team output will concern the coach further. Salah had seventy-six contacts in the opposition box in the first seven fixtures of the previous term. This season's total is thirty-nine. The stats are indicative of the team's difficulties in general. Only Manchester United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of shots on goal than Liverpool now, but the team's percentage of shots from within the six-yard box is the poorest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the highest. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4% – is as well among the lowest in the league.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mainly scored from a moment of magic from an attacker and in the second half it was mostly from a dead ball,” the manager said. “This season we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the team that from live action generates the most quality opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating opponents in the fashion Slot envisaged when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, although the team remain the division's joint third-highest goalscorers. A draw on Sunday would be sufficient for Slot to attain the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his forward line will do when it clicks. The side remain a team of exceptional talent, able to igniting and reeling in any foe for the title, but cohesion is absent. This cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals by themselves.

Personal and Team Challenges

The player is not the sole established player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to match sharpness and the defender toiling. But he ends up at the core of the turmoil that has recently affected Liverpool. This goes to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Diogo Jota obvious on that emotional season opener against Bournemouth. The effect of Jota's loss can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Shifts

In the prior campaign, he