Liverpool slumped down to eighth in the Premier League table after they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at The Etihad in the last game before the international break.
The Reds have now lost seven of their last ten matches in all competitions and five of their 11 games in the Premier League, in what has been a dismal defence of their title so far.
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Arne Slot will be disappointed with his side's dreadful run of form and should use the international break to come up with a new way of approaching matches to turn the season around.
One thing that the Dutch head coach must look to do is to revive Mohamed Salah's form, because the reigning Premier League Player of the Year has not been at his best.
How far Mo Salah's numbers have fallen this season
The Egypt international won the Player of the Year award by delivering 29 goals and 18 assists in the top-flight last season, helping the Reds to the Premier League title.
Unfortunately, the left-footed superstar has not quite been at his sparkling best for Slot in the current campaign, although he has still delivered four goals and two assists in 11 league games.
Mo Salah (Premier League) 24/25 25/26
Appearances 38 11
Goals 29 4
Minutes per goal 116 246
Big chances missed 24 6
Conversion rate 22% 15%
Key passes per game 2.4 1.9
Assists 18 2
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Salah is scoring and assisting goals less frequently than he did last season, with a lower conversion rate, which is why the manager needs to find a way to get him back to his best.
Per Sofascore, the winger registered three shots without any going on target and created three chances without any of them being 'big chances', but he was not the only Liverpool forward who failed to deliver.
Why Hugo Ekitike's place in the XI should be on borrowed time
Hugo Ekitike put in a disappointing performance in the number nine shirt and his place in the starting line-up may be on borrowed time come the other side of the break.
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The France international was given the nod to lead the line for the Reds against the Cityzens, but he was just as ineffective as Salah at the top end of the pitch.
Per Sofascore, Ekitike did not take a single shot in the match and only made one key pass, whilst he also lost 100% (2/2) of his duels, which speaks to how underwhelming his display was.
In his 11 minutes on the pitch after the post above, the former Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward did not take any shots or attempt any dribbles, but he did create one chance in what was an "anonymous" performance.
Ekitike has now failed to score in his last five appearances in the Premier League for the Reds, per Sofascore, and has only scored three goals in ten games in the division in total.
Unlike Salah, the French striker does not have an incredible career at Liverpool to buy him more time in the starting XI if performances like his one against Manchester City persist, which is why he may be on borrowed time in the XI.
On top of that, Alexander Isak returned from injury to make the bench on Sunday, which puts further pressure on Ekitike. The former Newcastle man scored 23 goals in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, and could take his place in the starting line-up unless the ex-Bundesliga star improves his performances.