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It's been a period, but Liverpool's forward reappeared taking on the main part last week with two goals in Morocco that sealed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The key player taking the limelight once more. The Reds need him to stay there.

Reasons for Unsteady Displays

We see many reasons why inconsistent, unimpressive showings have been the common thread characterizing the team's beginning to their title defence, whether they recorded seven straight victories or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from numerous offseason moves, the coach's quest for his top team, the late forward's loss; the winger has felt the effect of them all during his atypically quiet start to the campaign.

Sunday's Big Match

Sunday's showpiece occasion could provide the spark for the source of a impressive 16 scores in 17 games for Liverpool against United, who are making their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for almost a decade. The attacker will present Slot with a further unforeseen dilemma, yet, if he remain lost in the disruption much longer.

Latest Form

The team's boss must have noticed the irony of the player's initial score against Djibouti last Wednesday. Struck directly with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, Salah's eighth goal of Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign was from an almost identical spot to his expensive error in the Chelsea match prior to the international break.

If that attempt been finished moments after the restart at Chelsea's ground we would still be praising the new signing's first sublime pass in the English top flight. Analyses into Salah's dip and Liverpool's unusual losing run might as well have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while Slot broods over a third consecutive away defeat, a couple inflicted by dying-minute strikes and one the result of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as he emphasized on Friday, but they do not mask larger problems.

Last Season's Impact

Salah was instrumental in driving the side towards a record-equalling 20th crown the previous term while speculation over his future lingered in the backdrop. We extracted almost the best out of Salah that campaign,” said Slot when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. There has been a clear drop-off on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the details of a contract, are to blame.

Statistical Decrease

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and setups is reduced 50% on the same stage last season, from a total eight in the opening seven matches of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and a couple of assists) this term. His number of attempts has fallen from twenty-two to twelve while efforts on goal have declined from 15 to 5, leading to a significant fall in shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, statistics show.

One attribute that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 opportunities made, against fourteen at the equivalent point of the previous season, his stats remain among the best in Europe and up in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his juniors by 15 and thirteen years respectively.

Team Display

Metrics of team output will concern Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the enemy box in the opening seven league games of the prior campaign. The current campaign's total is thirty-nine. These figures are reflective of the squad's difficulties overall. Only United and the Gunners have taken more attempts on goal than Liverpool now, but Liverpool's rate of shots from inside the six-yard area is the poorest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the highest. Liverpool's rate of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is as well among the poorest in the league.

During the initial phase of last season we mostly found the net from a special moment from a forward and in the later stage it was more from a free-kick or corner,” Slot said. “Now we have not seen as many acts of brilliance and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are nonetheless the team that from general play generates the highest expected goals opportunities.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't punishing rivals in the fashion the coach envisaged when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were brought on board in the offseason, though the team are the league's joint third-highest scorers. A draw on the weekend would be sufficient for him to reach the 100-point total in fewer games than any manager in the club's history (forty-six). Consider what his offense will do when it does settle. The side are still a squad of exceptional individual quality, capable of starting and chasing any foe for the championship, but cohesion is missing. This cannot be attributed on the new signings alone.

Individual and Collective Issues

The player is not the only established player to suffer a dip, with the midfielder working his way back to fitness and the defender struggling. But he ends up at the center of the turmoil that has recently engulfed the club. This applies to a personal level, with his sorrow over the death of Jota obvious on that heartfelt season opener against Bournemouth. The impact of Jota's tragedy can not be quantified nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he