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It seems that Mohamed Salah's lack of defensive contributions has turned into a slight problem for the Merseyside club, particularly when facing stronger teams.

It's understandable if manager the Liverpool boss has instructed the forward not to track back, since positioning himself advanced on the right side when regaining possession has made him one of the global most dangerous strikers.

But, the players behind him fail to offer sufficient cover, creating numerous issues for anyone is playing at the right defensive position in recent matches.

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

It proved a noticeable weakness in the recent match, resulting in the opponent's decisive goal – and the worry is that other sides will intelligently exploit this weak spot.

{'Salah Is Given License to Skip Defence Work

First of all, I doubt that the manager is telling Salah to help defensively and assist his right-back.

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

Rather, the manager is allowing Salah the liberty to focus exclusively on offensive play, which is fine – we've seen numerous instances of other teams adopting similar tactics, with players who prefer to conserve their energy for forward actions.

Certainly, there are still specific moments in a match when the team is conceding chances and one might feel compelled to help out.

I know he is capable, because when Liverpool triumphed at a top rival last season, his defensive performance was among the best I've seen from him.

However, he must have been specifically asked to perform that role on that occasion, which is why I am not criticizing him if he is asked to stay forward.

'The Main Issue Is How Liverpool Are Structured In Support of Salah'

The issue with Salah is more about how the side set up behind him, particularly when playing stronger teams.

The other teammates need to provide more and quicker help, because it seemed like Chelsea were advancing the ball upfield and then switching it to their left, because that's where the space was.

If a Liverpool midfielder went out too late – whether it be Ryan Gravenberch – then he left space in central areas ahead of the defence because Liverpool were missing a player from the midfield.

All this is less critical when playing teams that you dominate possession against – as we've seen their previous 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 is not as if Salah has changed his duties recently, but since he is failing to find the net at the other end, maybe the defensive aspect of his performance is more noticeable.

I'm not too worried about his form, as he will improve – he always does – in terms of his goal scoring.

He found some excellent positions against their opponents but maybe took a chance when he should have passed, and the opposite, but those chances will continue and the scores will come.

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

This has been a disappointing period for them, naturally, not only to lose three games in a row in the domestic league and European competition but as the display standards have fallen below what we expect.

There are mitigating factors, of course, with all the squad adjustments in the off-season and the several of players who did not have preparatory training, but previously Slot's side seemed very good at controlling matches and that is not the case.

It felt like their organization was solid, and Slot's more ball-retention approach provided greater control.

It was something that observers instantly saw he had added to the team, 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 Chelsea match was so frenetic it felt like a knockout game – they had chances to win it, but conceded many opportunities too, which is why they ultimately losing.

{How Can Slot Address The Team's Issues?

There are a few things that are not right about the club, and repeatedly notice them losing possession, but I don't see an hopeless scenario.

Even though they have some new players – and varied profiles too – they should not need to alter their approach. They just need to return to being slightly more patient and composed.

Good aspect is they are only one point adrift of leaders the front-runners and have opportunity to fix the issues that are going wrong.

The physical aspect they are lacking will come because the individuals who missed a proper training camp, such as key attackers and defenders, will reach peak fitness soon.

Building proper understanding on the pitch always takes time too, whether it be between the defender and Salah or additional key pairings.

Therefore, there is no need to overreact. It feels like currently 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 recently will probably happen at some point to Arsenal and rivals this season.

I had not previously thought City would be in the title race, but if their star striker remains this hungry and healthy they will be in contention.

The London club, defensively, appear superb again and, overall, after several matches they appear very comfortable in their performances across the pitch – it looks like a extension of last season, with an added layer of quality and squad strength.

With Liverpool it seems more of a rebuild right now. But although there is still work to do for them to establish the optimal equilibrium and combinations, it is expected all expects them to improve as the season advances.