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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.

I can fully grasp if manager Arne Slot has directed Salah not to track back, since staying high on the right flank when regaining possession has established him as one of the world's deadliest strikers.

However, the teammates behind him are not providing sufficient cover, creating significant issues for anyone is playing at right-back in recent matches.

Whether it's Conor Bradley or another player, they end up in difficulty due to facing a 2v1 overload on that flank.

It proved a clear weakness in the recent match, leading to the opponent's decisive goal – and the concern is that other sides will intelligently target this same area.

{'Salah Has Freedom to Skip Defensive Work

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

Should Salah was told to mark the opposition's left-back his direct opponent, then this was extremely evident he did not comply, and Slot would not tolerate that.

Instead, Slot is granting him the freedom to concentrate solely on offensive play, which is fine – we've seen numerous examples of other teams using similar approaches, with individuals who choose to conserve their energy for forward moves.

Certainly, there are still certain situations in a game when the team is conceding chances and one might take it upon yourself to track back.

It's known Salah is capable, because during they won at a top rival last season, his work rate was outstanding observed from him.

But, he must have been specifically asked to do so on that occasion, which is why I am not criticizing him if he is asked to remain advanced.

'The Main Issue Is How Liverpool Are Set Up Behind Salah'

The issue with Salah is more about how Liverpool are organized in defensive support, especially when playing stronger teams.

His players must provide more and quicker assistance, as it felt like the opposition were moving the ball upfield and subsequently switching it to their left side, since that's where the space was.

When a Liverpool central player went out too late – be it Alexis Mac Allister – then he created openings in the middle ahead of the defence because Liverpool were missing a man from the center.

This situation becomes less critical when facing opponents that they control possession against – evidenced by Liverpool past league wins using such tactics – but they need to tighten up as the top sides will take advantage.

'Liverpool Are Losing Control of Games'

It isn't as if he has changed his role this season, but since he is failing to find the net in attack, maybe the defensive aspect of his performance is more noticeable.

I am not too worried about his current performance, because he will return to form – history shows – in terms of his finishing.

He found some excellent positions against their opponents but perhaps took a chance when he could have assisted, and the opposite, but those chances will continue and the scores will follow.

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

This has been a disappointing week for them, of course, not only to suffer multiple matches in a row in the domestic league and Champions League but because the display standards have not been what we expect.

We must consider mitigating factors, certainly, with the numerous squad adjustments in the off-season and the several of individuals who missed preparatory training, but last season the manager's Liverpool seemed very good at controlling matches and that is no longer the case.

It felt like their organization was sound, and Slot's more possession-based approach provided better control.

This was an aspect that people instantly noticed he had added to the squad, in contrast to what it was like under the former coach.

Currently, though, observing them and it looks a bit chaotic. The final 30 minutes of the Chelsea match was so frenetic it resembled a cup tie – they had opportunities to secure victory, but gave away several opportunities too, which is why they ended up losing.

{How Can Slot Fix Liverpool Problems?

We can identify a several things that are not right about the club, and repeatedly notice them giving the ball away, but this is not an hopeless scenario.

Even though Liverpool have several new players – and different types too – they should not need to change their approach. They just need to return to being a bit more composed and calm.

Good news is they are only one point adrift of table-toppers Arsenal and have opportunity to correct the issues that are underperforming.

The physical element they are lacking will come as the players who missed a full pre-season, like midfielders and defenders, will attain peak fitness shortly.

Developing proper relationships on the field always takes time too, whether it be between the defender and the forward or other key combinations.

So, there is no need to overreact. It feels like currently in the Premier League, and not only with Liverpool but with all teams, you are only one week away from 'catastrophe' and scrutiny.

The reality is the recent results to them this week will likely occur at some stage to other contenders and rivals as well.

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

The London club, in defence, appear superb again and, overall, after seven games they seem very assured in their performances across the pitch – it seems a continuation of last season, with an extra dose of quality and squad strength.

For them it feels like more of a transition at present. But while there is still work to do for them to find the optimal balance and combinations, I think all is anticipating them to improve as the campaign advances.