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It appears that Mohamed Salah's limited defensive contributions has turned into a minor problem for the Merseyside club, particularly against top-tier teams.

It's understandable if manager Arne Slot has instructed Salah to avoid defensive duties, since staying high on the right side during transitions has established him as one of the global most dangerous goalscorers.

However, the teammates behind him fail to offer adequate cover, causing numerous issues for anyone has been at right-back this season.

Be it Conor Bradley or Dominik Szoboszlai, they end up in trouble due to facing a numerical disadvantage on that flank.

This was a clear vulnerability on Saturday, resulting in the opponent's decisive goal – and the concern is that other sides will intelligently exploit this same area.

{'Salah Is Given Freedom to Avoid Defensive Work

Primarily, I doubt that Slot is telling the attacker to track back and assist his defender.

Should Salah had been instructed to follow the opposition's left-back his direct opponent, then it was very evident he did not comply, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Instead, the manager is allowing Salah the liberty to concentrate exclusively on attacking play, which is acceptable – we've seen numerous instances of different clubs adopting similar tactics, with individuals who prefer to save their energy for forward moves.

Certainly, there are always certain moments in a game when you are under pressure and one might feel compelled to help out.

It's known he is capable, because during Liverpool won at a top rival previously, his work rate was outstanding observed from him.

However, 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 Real Problem Is How The Team Are Set Up In Support of Salah'

The issue with his role is more about how Liverpool set up in defensive support, especially when playing stronger teams.

The other teammates need to offer more and faster assistance, because it seemed like the opposition were advancing the ball forward and subsequently shifting it to their left, because that's where the space was.

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

This situation becomes less of a problem when playing opponents that they control the ball against – evidenced by their past league wins playing this way – but they must tighten up because the top sides will take advantage.

'Liverpool Are Losing Command of Matches'

It isn't as if Salah has altered his role this season, but since he is not scoring in attack, maybe the defensive aspect of his game is amplified.

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

He found some excellent positions versus their opponents but perhaps shot when he could have assisted, and vice versa, but those chances will keep coming and the scores will come.

The biggest worry with the team currently is their lack of control in matches compared to the previous campaign.

This has been a frustrating week for them, of course, not just to lose multiple games in a row in the Premier League and Champions League but as the performance levels have not been what we expect.

We must consider mitigating factors, certainly, with the numerous personnel changes in the summer and the number of individuals who did not have pre-season, but last season the manager's Liverpool appeared so effective at managing games and that is not the case.

It seemed like their organization was sound, and Slot's more ball-retention style provided greater control.

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

Now, however, observing them and it looks somewhat disorganized. The final 30 minutes of the recent match was hectic it resembled a knockout game – they had chances to secure victory, but gave away several opportunities too, which is why they ultimately losing.

{How Can Slot Fix The Team's Problems?

We can identify a few aspects that are off about the club, and I keep seeing them giving the ball away, but this is not an unresolvable situation.

Just because Liverpool have several new additions – and varied profiles too – they should not need to alter their playing style. They simply require to get back to being slightly more composed and composed.

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

Fitness aspect they are missing will come because the players who missed a proper pre-season, such as midfielders and full-backs, will attain peak fitness shortly.

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

Therefore, there is no need to overreact. It seems like currently in the Premier League, and not only 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 this week will probably happen at some point to other contenders and rivals this season.

I didn't previously believed that side would be in the championship chase, but if their star striker stays this hungry and fit they will compete.

Arsenal, in defence, appear superb again and, in general, after several matches they seem very comfortable in what they are doing across the pitch – it looks like a continuation of last season, with an extra dose of quality and squad strength.

With Liverpool it feels like more of a transition right now. But while there is still work to do for them to find the optimal balance and combinations, I think all expects them to improve as the season advances.