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It appears that the Egyptian star's limited defensive contributions is emerging as a minor issue for Liverpool, particularly when facing stronger teams.

I can fully grasp if manager the Liverpool boss has instructed the forward to avoid defensive duties, because positioning himself advanced on the right flank when regaining possession has established him as one of the global most dangerous goalscorers.

But, the teammates in support are not providing sufficient defensive support, causing significant issues for whoever is playing at right-back in recent matches.

Whether it's Jeremie Frimpong or another player, they end up in difficulty due to dealing with a 2v1 overload on that flank.

This was a clear vulnerability in the recent match, leading to Chelsea's winning goal – and the concern is that more teams will smartly exploit this weak spot.

{'Salah Is Given License to Skip Defensive Duties'

Primarily, I doubt that Slot is telling the attacker to help defensively and assist his right-back.

Should he was told to follow the opposition's defender his direct opponent, then this was extremely obvious he wasn't doing it, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Instead, Slot is granting Salah the liberty to focus exclusively on offensive play, which is fine – there are many examples of different clubs adopting comparable approaches, with individuals who choose to conserve their energy for forward actions.

Yes, there are still specific situations in a game when the team is conceding chances and one might take it upon yourself to help out.

It's known he is capable, since during Liverpool triumphed at a top rival last season, his work rate was outstanding I've seen from him.

However, he must have been specifically asked to perform that role on that occasion, which is why I don't blame him if he has been told to remain advanced.

'The Main Issue Is The Way The Team Are Set Up In Support of Salah'

The issue with his role stems from how the side set up behind him, particularly when playing stronger opponents.

The other teammates must offer better and faster help, because it felt like Chelsea were advancing the ball forward and then switching it to their left side, because that's where the space was.

If a their central player went out belatedly – be it Ryan Gravenberch – then he left openings in the middle in front of the defence because Liverpool were missing a player from the midfield.

All this is less of a problem when playing teams that you dominate possession against – as we've seen Liverpool past success using such tactics – but they need to tighten up because the top sides will capitalize.

'Liverpool Have Lost Command of Games'

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

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

He got into some excellent situations against Chelsea but maybe shot when he should have passed, and the opposite, but those opportunities will continue and the goals will follow.

The biggest worry with Liverpool currently is their lack of command in matches compared to last season.

It has been a disappointing week for them, naturally, not just to lose multiple games in a row in the Premier League and Champions League but as the display standards have not been what we expect.

There are extenuating circumstances, of course, with all the squad adjustments in the off-season and the several of individuals who missed pre-season, but previously the manager's side seemed very good at controlling matches and that is no longer the case.

It seemed like their organization was sound, and his more ball-retention approach brought better command.

It was something that people instantly saw he had added to the squad, compared to what it was like under previous management.

Currently, though, observing them and it appears somewhat chaotic. The last half-hour of the Chelsea match was hectic it felt like a knockout game – they had opportunities to secure victory, but gave away many opportunities too, which is why they ended up defeated.

{How Can Slot Fix Liverpool Problems?

We can identify a few things that are off about the club, and repeatedly notice them losing possession, but this is not an hopeless situation.

Even though they have several new additions – and varied profiles too – they don't need to change their playing style. They just need to get back to being slightly more composed and composed.

The positive news is they are just one point behind leaders Arsenal and have time to fix the things that are going wrong.

Fitness aspect they are missing will improve as the players who did not have a proper pre-season, like midfielders and defenders, will attain peak fitness shortly.

Building proper relationships on the pitch always takes patience too, whether it be between the right-back and the forward or additional key combinations.

Therefore, there is no need to overreact. It feels like at the moment in the top flight, and not just with this team but with every side, you are only one week away from 'catastrophe' and criticism.

The reality is the recent results to them recently will likely happen at some point to other contenders and Manchester City this season.

I had not actually believed that side would be in the championship chase, but if their star striker remains this hungry and healthy they will be in contention.

Arsenal, defensively, appear excellent again and, in general, after several matches they seem very assured in their performances in all areas – it seems a continuation of last season, with an extra dose of talent and depth.

With Liverpool it seems more of a rebuild at present. But although there is still work to do for them to establish the right balance and partnerships, it is expected everyone is anticipating them to improve as the campaign unfolds.