🔗 Share this article

It appears that the Egyptian star's limited defensive contributions is emerging as a minor problem for the Merseyside club, particularly against stronger opponents.

I can fully grasp if manager the Liverpool boss has directed Salah not to track back, since positioning himself advanced on the right side during transitions has established him as one of the world's most dangerous strikers.

However, the players behind him are not providing adequate cover, causing significant challenges for anyone has been at right-back in recent matches.

Be it Jeremie Frimpong or another player, they end up in difficulty due to facing a 2v1 overload on their side.

This was a noticeable weakness on Saturday, resulting in Chelsea's winning goal – and the concern is that other sides will intelligently target this same area.

{'Salah Has Freedom to Avoid Defence Duties'

First of all, it's hard to believe that the manager is telling the attacker to help defensively and support his right-back.

Should he had been instructed to mark Chelsea's left-back his direct opponent, then this was very obvious he did not comply, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Instead, the manager is granting him the freedom to concentrate solely on attacking play, which is fine – we've seen many instances of other teams adopting similar approaches, with players who prefer to conserve their stamina for forward moves.

Yes, there are still certain moments in a game when you are conceding chances and you might feel compelled to track back.

It's known he can do it, since during they won at Manchester City last season, his work rate was among the best observed from him.

However, he must have been instructed to perform that role on that day, which is why I am not criticizing him if he has been asked to stay forward.

'The Real Issue Is How Liverpool Are Structured Behind Salah'

The concern with Salah stems from how the side are organized behind him, especially when playing top teams.

His players must offer better and faster help, because it felt like Chelsea were moving the ball forward and subsequently switching it to their left, because that's where the space existed.

When a Liverpool midfielder went out belatedly – whether it be Ryan Gravenberch – then he created space in the middle ahead of the back line because they were missing a man from the midfield.

This situation is less of a problem when playing teams that they control possession against – as we've seen their past league wins playing such tactics – but they need to tighten up because the elite teams will take advantage.

'Liverpool Are Losing Command of Matches'

It isn't as if he has altered his role recently, but since he is failing to find the net in attack, maybe the defensive side of his performance is amplified.

I am not too worried about his form, because he will return to form – he always does – in terms of his goal scoring.

He found some excellent positions versus Chelsea but maybe shot when he should have passed, and vice versa, but those opportunities will keep coming and the goals will come.

The biggest worry with Liverpool at the moment is their reduced control in matches relative to last season.

It has been a frustrating week for them, of course, not just to lose multiple matches in a row in the domestic league and European competition but because the performance levels have not been expectations.

We must consider extenuating circumstances, certainly, with all the personnel changes in the summer and the number of individuals who missed preparatory training, but last season the manager's side appeared so effective at managing games and that is no longer the case.

It seemed like their organization was solid, and his more possession-based approach brought better command.

This was something that people immediately noticed he had introduced to the squad, in contrast to what it was like under the former coach.

Now, however, observing them and it appears a bit disorganized. The last half-hour of the Chelsea game was so frenetic it felt like a cup tie – they had chances to win it, but gave away several chances too, which is why they ended up defeated.

{How Can Slot Fix Liverpool Problems?

There are a few aspects that are not right about the club, and repeatedly notice them losing possession, but I don't see an unresolvable situation.

Even though Liverpool have several new players – and different types too – they should not need to alter their playing style. They simply require to return to being slightly more patient and calm.

The positive news is they are only one point behind table-toppers Arsenal and have opportunity to correct the issues that are underperforming.

Fitness aspect they are missing will improve because the individuals who missed a full training camp, such as midfielders and full-backs, will attain peak fitness shortly.

Building proper relationships on the pitch always takes time too, be it between the defender and Salah or other important pairings.

So, there is no need to overreact. It feels like at the moment in the top flight, and not only with this team but with all teams, you are only one week away from 'catastrophe' and scrutiny.

The reality is what has happened to them this week will probably occur at some point to Arsenal and Manchester City as well.

I didn't actually believed City would be in the title race, but if their star striker remains this hungry and fit they will be in contention.

Arsenal, in defence, look excellent again and, overall, after several matches they appear very comfortable in their performances in all areas – it looks like a continuation of last season, with an extra dose of quality and depth.

For them it seems more of a rebuild right now. But although there is still work to do for them to find the right equilibrium and combinations, it is expected all is anticipating them to progress as the season advances.