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It has been a period, but Mohamed Salah was back playing the lead part recently with a double in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's spot at the upcoming World Cup. The main man stepping on the spotlight yet again. The Reds must have him to keep that position.

Factors for Inconsistent Performances

We see several causes why inconsistent, unconvincing displays have been the frequent pattern defining Liverpool's start to their championship defense, whether they recorded a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's trip to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, a losing run. The disruption from numerous summer changes, the coach's quest for his top team, the late forward's loss; Salah has experienced the consequences of them all during his uncharacteristically quiet beginning to the term.

The Weekend's Key Fixture

Sunday's showpiece occasion could deliver the spark for the cause of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to the stadium and have not won at their archrivals for over nine years. Salah will pose the manager with another unforeseen dilemma, yet, if he continue caught in the turmoil indefinitely.

Current Performance

The team's head coach likely recognized the contrast of the player's initial score against the opponent last Wednesday. Swept directly with the outside of his stronger foot into the near post, his eighth score of Egypt's qualification run originated from an almost identical location to his costly miss versus Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that shot with his right been converted moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be eulogising the new signing's maiden superb setup in the league. Discussions into his dip and the team's unusual defeat streak might as well have been postponed. Instead, the midfielder's wait persists while Slot stews over a third consecutive defeat away, two caused by dying-minute strikes and another the outcome of a debatable penalty. Narrow differences, as Slot reiterated on recently, but they do not mask bigger issues.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was crucial in pushing Liverpool towards a record-equalling 20th league title the previous term while doubt over his career lingered in the background. We extracted nearly the utmost out of Mo this season,” said the manager when his leading striker signed an extension in the spring. We have seen a obvious decrease on an individual and collective level since. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Decline

His output in terms of scores and setups is down half on the corresponding stage last season, from a combined eight in the first seven league games of last season to 4 (a pair of goals and two assists) the current campaign. His tally of attempts has dropped from twenty-two to twelve while shots on target have declined from 15 to five, leading to a steep fall in conversion rate (not counting blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6%, figures show.

One attribute that has remained consistent is his chance creation. With twelve opportunities made, compared with fourteen at the comparable period of last term, his numbers stay among the finest in Europe and comparable in the group of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and 13 years each.

Collective Output

Measures of team output will trouble the coach further. He had 76 contacts in the opposition box in the opening seven fixtures of the prior campaign. This term's total is 39. The numbers are symptomatic of the squad's issues in general. Just 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 area is the lowest in the top flight, their ratio from distance among the top. Liverpool's percentage of accurate shots – 28.4 percent – is also among the lowest in the competition.

During the initial phase of the previous campaign we mostly found the net from a special moment from one of our front three and in the later stage it was more from a dead ball,” Slot said. “Currently we haven’t had as many sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from dead balls. But we are still the side that from open play creates the highest xG chances.”

Recent Additions

They are not beating rivals in the fashion the coach planned when Wirtz, the French forward and the Swedish striker were brought on board this summer, while Liverpool remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A draw on the weekend would be enough for Slot to reach the 100-point mark in less games than any boss in the club's past (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. Liverpool remain a squad of outstanding skill, capable of igniting and catching any opponent for the title, but synergy is lacking. This cannot be attributed on the recent arrivals only.

Individual and Collective Issues

The player is not the only key member to suffer a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister returning to match sharpness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he finds himself at the center of the upheaval that has lately enveloped the club. That goes to a individual level, with Salah's sadness over the passing of Jota clear on that poignant first game against Bournemouth. The effect of his loss can not be measured nor ignored.

Tactical Changes

In the prior campaign, he