🔗 Share this article

It appears that the Egyptian star's limited defensive work is emerging as a minor issue for the Merseyside club, especially against top-tier opponents.

It's understandable if manager Arne Slot has instructed the forward to avoid defensive duties, because positioning himself advanced on the right side during transitions has made him one of the global deadliest goalscorers.

However, the teammates behind him fail to offer sufficient defensive support, creating numerous issues for whoever has been at the right defensive position in recent matches.

Whether it's Jeremie Frimpong or Dominik Szoboszlai, they end up in trouble due to dealing with a numerical disadvantage on that flank.

It proved a clear vulnerability in the recent match, resulting in the opponent's decisive goal – and the concern is that more teams will intelligently exploit this weak spot.

{'Salah Has Freedom to Skip Defensive Duties'

First of all, it's hard to believe that the manager is telling the attacker to help defensively and assist his defender.

Should Salah was told to follow Chelsea's defender Marc Cucurella, then it was very obvious he did not comply, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Rather, Slot is allowing Salah the liberty to concentrate exclusively on offensive play, which is acceptable – there are numerous examples of other teams using comparable approaches, with players who prefer to conserve their energy for attacking actions.

Certainly, there are still certain moments in a match when the team is under pressure and one might feel compelled to help out.

I know he is capable, since during Liverpool triumphed at Manchester City last season, his work rate was among the best I've seen from him.

But, he likely been instructed to do so on that occasion, which is why I don't blame him if he has been asked to stay forward.

'The Real Issue Is How The Team Are Set Up In Support of Salah'

The concern with his role stems from how Liverpool set up behind him, especially when playing stronger teams.

His players need to offer more and quicker assistance, as it felt like the opposition were advancing the ball forward and subsequently switching it to their left side, since that's where the space was.

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

This situation becomes less of a problem when playing teams that you dominate possession against – as we've seen Liverpool previous success playing such tactics – but they need to improve as the elite teams will capitalize.

'Liverpool Have Lost Control of Matches'

It is not as if he has changed his role recently, but because he is not scoring in attack, perhaps the defensive side of his performance is more noticeable.

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

He got into some excellent positions versus Chelsea but maybe took a chance when he should have passed, and vice versa, but those chances will continue and the goals will follow.

My main concern with the team at the moment is their lack of control in games compared to last season.

It has been a disappointing period for them, of course, not only to suffer multiple matches in a row in the Premier League and Champions League but because the display standards have fallen below what we expect.

We must consider mitigating factors, of course, with all the personnel changes in the summer and the number of individuals who missed pre-season, but previously Slot's Liverpool appeared so effective at controlling matches and that is no longer the case.

It felt like their defensive shape was sound, and his more possession-based style brought greater control.

It was an aspect that people instantly saw he had introduced to the team, compared to what it was like under previous management.

Currently, though, observing them and it looks a bit disorganized. The last half-hour of the recent game was so frenetic it felt like a cup tie – they had chances to win it, but gave away many opportunities too, which is why they ultimately losing.

{How Can Slot Address The Team's Issues?

There are a several things that are off about the club, and I keep seeing them losing possession, but this is not an unresolvable situation.

Even though they have several new additions – and different types too – they don't need to alter their approach. They just need to return to being slightly more composed and calm.

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

The physical element they are missing will come as the players who missed a proper training camp, like midfielders and full-backs, will attain peak fitness shortly.

Building proper relationships on the field always takes patience too, be it between the right-back and Salah or other key combinations.

So, there is no reason to panic. It seems like at the moment in the top flight, and not just with this team but with all teams, you are a single match away from 'crisis' and scrutiny.

The truth is what has happened to Liverpool this week will likely occur at some point to Arsenal and rivals this season.

I had not previously believed that side would be in the title race, but if their star striker stays motivated and healthy they will be in contention.

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

For them it seems more of a transition right now. But although there is still work to do for them to establish the right equilibrium and combinations, it is expected all is anticipating them to improve as the campaign unfolds.