Mohamed Salah Needs Comeback to Spotlight for Liverpool's Big Occasion

It has been a period, but the Egyptian star was back taking on the main part last week with two goals in Morocco that confirmed Egypt's place at the upcoming World Cup. The key player stepping on the limelight once more. The Reds require him to stay there.

Causes for Inconsistent Showings

There are numerous reasons why variable, unimpressive performances have been the frequent pattern running through the team's opening to their title defence, whether they produced a winning streak or, prior to Manchester United's arrival to Liverpool's home ground on Sunday, three consecutive defeats. The disruption from multiple new signings, the coach's search for his best XI, Diogo Jota's passing; Salah has endured the consequences of them all during his unusually subdued opening to the season.

Sunday's Key Fixture

Sunday's key fixture could offer the spark for the source of a record 16 goals in 17 outings for Liverpool against United, who are paying their centenary trip to Anfield and have not won at their fierce rivals for more than nine years. The attacker will present Slot with a further unexpected problem, yet, if he stay caught in the disruption indefinitely.

Current Display

Liverpool's manager must have noticed the paradox of the player's first goal against Djibouti in midweek. Swept immediately with the outside of his stronger foot inside the front post, Salah's eighth goal of the national team's qualifying effort came from an almost identical location to his expensive error against Chelsea prior to the international break.

Had that right-foot effort been scored shortly after the resumption at Chelsea's ground we would even now be praising the new signing's first superb pass in the English top flight. Discussions into Salah's dip and Liverpool's rare losing streak might also have been avoided. Rather, the midfielder's wait continues while Slot stews over a third away defeat, a couple due to late goals and another the result of a debatable penalty. Fine lines, as Slot reiterated on Friday, but they do not camouflage larger problems.

Last Season's Contribution

The forward was crucial in propelling Liverpool towards a tying 20th championship last season while speculation over his future rumbled in the background. “We brought nearly the best out of Mo that campaign,” said Slot when his main attacker signed an extension in April. We have seen a noticeable decrease on an individual and team level since. The squad, not the terms of a contract, are to blame.

Performance Decline

The 33-year-old's contribution in terms of scores and setups is reduced half on the same point last season, from a total 8 in the initial seven matches of last season to four (two goals and a couple of assists) this season. His tally of attempts has fallen from 22 to 12 while accurate shots have dropped from 15 to 5, contributing to a significant drop in shooting accuracy (not counting blocks) from 78.9 percent to 55.6%, figures show.

A particular skill that has held more steady is his creativity. With 12 key passes, against 14 at the equivalent point of last term, his numbers remain among the top in the continent and up in the company of Lamine Yamal and Arda Güler, his younger counterparts by 15 and 13 years each.

Collective Display

Indicators of collective display will concern Slot further. Salah had seventy-six touches in the opposition penalty area in the initial seven league games of last season. This term's tally is 39. The numbers are reflective of the team's difficulties as a whole. Just United and the Gunners have taken a greater number of shots on goal than them this season, but the team's percentage of shots from inside the goal area is the smallest in the top flight, their percentage from long range among the highest. The club's proportion of shots on target – 28.4% – is also among the poorest 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 later stage it was more from a set piece,” Slot said. “This season we haven’t had as numerous sparks of quality and we haven’t scored from set pieces. But we are nonetheless the team that from live action produces the highest xG chances.”

Summer Arrivals

They aren't beating foes in the manner the coach imagined when Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and the Swedish striker were signed recently, while the team remain the league's third-best goalscorers. A tie on the weekend would be sufficient for him to reach the 100-point total in less games than any manager in the club's history (forty-six). Imagine what his offense will do when it clicks. The side remain a squad of outstanding individual quality, able to igniting and chasing any rival for the championship, but cohesion is absent. That can not be attributed on the summer recruits alone.

Personal and Team Issues

The player is not the only established member to experience a decline, with Alexis Mac Allister working his way back to fitness and Ibrahima Konaté struggling. But he is at the heart of the turmoil that has recently enveloped Liverpool. This extends to a individual level, with his sadness over the loss of Jota clear on that emotional opening night against Bournemouth. The impact of his loss can neither be assessed nor overlooked.

Strategic Shifts

Last season, he