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It appears that Mohamed Salah's lack of defensive work has turned into a slight issue for Liverpool, particularly when facing stronger teams.

It's understandable if coach the Liverpool boss has instructed the forward not to track back, because positioning himself advanced on the right side during transitions has established him as one of the world's most dangerous strikers.

However, the players in support fail to offer sufficient defensive support, causing numerous issues for whoever is playing at the right defensive position this season.

Whether it's Conor Bradley or Dominik Szoboszlai, they end up in trouble due to dealing with a numerical disadvantage on their side.

This was a noticeable vulnerability in the recent match, resulting in the opponent's decisive goal – and the concern is that other sides will smartly target this same area.

{'Salah Is Given License to Skip Defence Work

Primarily, it's hard to believe that Slot is telling Salah to track back and support his defender.

If Salah had been instructed to follow Chelsea's defender his direct opponent, then this was extremely evident he did not comply, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Instead, Slot is granting him the freedom to focus exclusively on attacking play, which is acceptable – we've seen numerous instances of other teams using similar tactics, with players who choose to save their stamina for attacking actions.

Yes, there are always certain situations in a game when you are conceding chances and one might take it upon yourself to help out.

I know Salah can do it, since when they won at Manchester City last season, his defensive performance was outstanding observed from him.

However, he likely been instructed to perform that role on that occasion, which is why I don't blame him if he is asked to stay forward.

'The Main Problem Is How The Team Are Set Up Behind Salah'

The issue with Salah is more about how Liverpool set up behind him, especially against stronger teams.

His teammates need to offer more and faster assistance, because it felt like Chelsea were advancing the ball forward and then switching it to their left side, since that's where the space was.

If a their central player moved wide too late – be it Ryan Gravenberch – then he created space in the middle in front of the back line because they were missing a player from the center.

This situation becomes less critical when playing opponents that they control the ball against – as we've seen their previous success using this way – but they need to tighten up as the top sides will take advantage.

'Liverpool Have Lost Control of Games'

It is not as if Salah has changed his duties this season, but because he is not scoring in attack, maybe the defensive side of his game is amplified.

I'm not too worried about his current performance, because he will return to form – history shows – in terms of his goal scoring.

He found some excellent positions against Chelsea but perhaps took a chance when he should have passed, and vice versa, but those opportunities will continue and the goals will follow.

The biggest concern with the team at the moment is their lack of command in matches compared to last season.

This has been a disappointing period for them, naturally, not just to lose multiple games in a row in the domestic league and European competition but because the display standards have not been expectations.

We must consider extenuating circumstances, of course, with all the squad adjustments in the summer and the number of individuals who did not have preparatory training, but last season Slot's side seemed very good at controlling matches and that is no longer the situation.

It seemed like their defensive shape was solid, and Slot's more possession-based style brought better control.

It was something that observers instantly saw he had introduced to the squad, in contrast to what it was like under the former coach.

Currently, however, I watch them and it looks a bit chaotic. The final 30 minutes of the recent game was hectic it resembled a knockout game – they had opportunities to win it, but gave away many chances too, which is why they ended up defeated.

{How Can Slot Address Liverpool Issues?

We can identify a several aspects that are not right about the club, and repeatedly notice them losing possession, but I don't see an hopeless situation.

Even though they have several new players – and varied profiles too – they should not need to change their playing style. They just need to return to being a bit more composed and calm.

The positive news is they are only one point behind table-toppers the front-runners and have time to correct the things that are underperforming.

The physical aspect they are lacking will come as the players who missed a full training camp, such as key attackers and defenders, will attain peak fitness shortly.

Developing proper relationships on the pitch requires time too, be it between the right-back and the forward or additional important combinations.

Therefore, there is no need to overreact. It feels like currently in the Premier League, and not just with this team but with all teams, you are only one week away from 'crisis' and scrutiny.

The reality is what has happened to them recently will probably happen at some stage to other contenders and rivals this season.

I didn't previously thought City would be in the championship chase, but if a key attacker stays this hungry and healthy they will compete.

Arsenal, in defence, appear excellent again and, in general, after several matches they seem very comfortable in their performances across the pitch – it seems a continuation of their previous form, with an added dose of quality and squad strength.

With Liverpool it seems more of a transition at present. But while there is ongoing work to do for them to establish the optimal equilibrium and combinations, I think all expects them to improve as the campaign advances.