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It's been a while, but Liverpool's forward returned assuming the lead part in recent days with two goals in Morocco that secured Egypt's spot at the 2026 World Cup. The main man stepping on center stage another time. The Reds require him to stay there.

Factors for Unsteady Performances

We see numerous factors why inconsistent, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern defining the team's beginning to their championship defense, whether they produced seven straight victories or, prior to the Red Devils' trip to Anfield on Sunday, three losses in a row. The disruption from numerous new signings, Arne Slot's hunt for his best XI, the late forward's passing; the winger has endured the impact of them all during his unusually low-key opening to the term.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's big match could deliver the catalyst for the origin of a record 16 scores in 17 games for the club against United, who are making their 100th appearance to Anfield and have not succeeded at their archrivals for more than nine years. The attacker will create Slot with a further unexpected problem, yet, if he remain lost in the disruption much longer.

Recent Display

The team's boss likely recognized the irony of the player's first goal against Djibouti recently. Struck first time with the exterior of his stronger foot inside the near post, his eighth score of the national team's qualifying effort was from an nearly the same position to his costly miss against Chelsea before the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been finished moments after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would still be celebrating Florian Wirtz's first excellent pass in the English top flight. Inquests into his dip and the team's rare defeat streak might as well have been avoided. Instead, Wirtz's search persists while the coach broods over a third loss on the road, two caused by late goals and one the outcome of a controversial spot-kick. Fine lines, as Slot repeated on Friday, but they cannot hide larger problems.

Previous Campaign's Impact

The forward was key in pushing Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship the previous term while doubt over his future rumbled in the backdrop. We achieved almost the utmost out of Salah last term,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a clear decrease on an personal and collective level from then. The lineup, not the terms of a deal, are responsible.

Statistical Drop

The 33-year-old's production in terms of scores and assists is reduced half on the same point last season, from a combined 8 in the initial seven league games of 2024-25 to four (two goals and a couple of assists) the current campaign. The count of shots has decreased from 22 to twelve while shots on target have fallen from fifteen to 5, leading to a steep decline in shot accuracy (excluding blocks) from 78.9% to 55.6 percent, statistics show.

One attribute that has stayed stable is his playmaking. With twelve chances created, against fourteen at the comparable period of last campaign, his stats are among the finest in the continent and comparable in the company of Lamine Yamal and rising stars, his younger counterparts by fifteen and thirteen years each.

Team Display

Indicators of team output will trouble Slot additionally. He had seventy-six contacts in the opposition penalty area in the opening seven matches of the previous term. This term's count is thirty-nine. These figures are symptomatic of the team's issues as a whole. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have tried a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but Liverpool's rate of attempts from inside the six-yard area is the smallest in the division, their percentage from outside the area among the greatest. Liverpool's percentage of efforts on goal – 28.4 percent – is also among the weakest in the competition.

“In the first half of the previous campaign we primarily scored from a special moment from one of our front three and in the second half it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “Currently we lack as numerous acts of brilliance and we have not found the net from dead balls. But we are still the team that from open play generates the most quality opportunities.”

New Signings

They aren't beating foes in the fashion the coach imagined when Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed this summer, although the team remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on Sunday would be sufficient for him to achieve the 100-point mark in less games than any manager in Liverpool's past (46). Think what his forward line will do when it finally gels. The side remain a team of exceptional skill, able to sparking and reeling in any opponent for the championship, but synergy is absent. That cannot be pinned on the summer recruits by themselves.

Individual and Collective Issues

Salah is not the only key player to suffer a decline, with the midfielder regaining to fitness and the defender toiling. But he is at the center of the disruption that has recently engulfed the club. This goes to a personal level, with Salah's sorrow over the death of Jota obvious on that heartfelt first game against the Cherries. The effect of Jota's loss can not be quantified nor dismissed.

Tactical Changes

Previously, he