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It seems that Mohamed Salah's limited defensive work has turned into a minor problem for Liverpool, particularly when facing stronger opponents.

It's understandable if coach Arne Slot has directed the forward to avoid defensive duties, because positioning himself advanced on the right flank when regaining possession has established him as one of the world's most dangerous strikers.

But, the teammates behind him are not providing sufficient defensive support, creating numerous challenges for anyone is playing at right-back in recent matches.

Whether it's Jeremie Frimpong or another player, they often find themselves in difficulty due to facing a 2v1 overload on their side.

It proved a noticeable vulnerability on Saturday, resulting in Chelsea's decisive goal – and the worry is that more teams will smartly target this same area.

{'Salah Has License to Skip Defensive Duties'

First of all, it's hard to believe that Slot is telling the attacker to help defensively and assist his right-back.

If he was told to follow the opposition's left-back his direct opponent, then this was very evident he did not comply, and the coach would not tolerate that.

Rather, the manager is allowing Salah the liberty to focus exclusively on offensive duties, which is acceptable – we've seen numerous examples of other teams adopting comparable tactics, with players who choose to conserve their energy for forward moves.

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

I know Salah can do it, because during they triumphed at Manchester City last season, his defensive performance was outstanding I've seen from him.

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

'The Real Problem Is The Way Liverpool Are Structured Behind Salah'

The issue with his role is more about how the side are organized in defensive support, particularly when playing stronger teams.

His players must offer better and faster assistance, as it felt like the opposition were advancing the ball forward and then shifting it to their left, since that's where the gap was.

If a their central player went out belatedly – be it Alexis Mac Allister – then he created space in central areas ahead of the back line because they were losing a player from the midfield.

All this becomes less of a problem when playing teams that you dominate the ball against – evidenced by Liverpool past success playing this way – but they must tighten up as the top sides will capitalize.

'Liverpool Have Lost Command of Games'

It isn't as if he has altered his role this season, but because he is failing to find the net at the other end, maybe the defensive aspect of his game is more noticeable.

I am not overly concerned about his current performance, as he will improve – he always does – in terms of his finishing.

He got into great situations versus Chelsea but maybe took a chance when he should have passed, and the opposite, but those chances will keep coming and the scores will come.

My main worry with Liverpool currently is their lack of command in games compared to last season.

It has been a disappointing week for them, of course, not just to lose multiple games in a row in the domestic league and Champions League but because the performance levels have fallen below expectations.

We must consider mitigating factors, of course, with all the personnel changes in the summer and the number of individuals who did not have pre-season, but last season the manager's Liverpool seemed very good at managing games and that is not the case.

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

It was something that people immediately saw he had added to the team, in contrast to what it was like under previous management.

Now, however, I watch them and it looks a bit disorganized. The last half-hour of the recent match was so frenetic it resembled a cup tie – they had chances to secure victory, but gave away several opportunities too, which is why they ended up defeated.

{How Can Slot Address The Team's Problems?

There are a several aspects that are not right about Liverpool, and repeatedly notice them giving the ball away, but this is not an hopeless scenario.

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 patient and composed.

The positive news is they are only one point adrift of leaders the front-runners and have opportunity to correct the issues that are going wrong.

Fitness aspect they are missing will come because the players who missed a full pre-season, such as key attackers and full-backs, will attain optimal condition shortly.

Building proper understanding on the pitch requires patience too, whether it be between the defender and Salah or additional important pairings.

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

The truth is the recent results to them this week will probably occur at some stage to other contenders and Manchester City this season.

I had not previously thought City would be in the title race, but if a key attacker stays motivated and healthy they will compete.

Arsenal, defensively, appear superb again and, overall, after seven games they appear very assured in what they are doing across the pitch – it looks like a extension of their previous form, with an extra dose of talent and squad strength.

With Liverpool it feels like more of a rebuild at present. But while there is still work to do for them to find the optimal balance and partnerships, I think everyone is anticipating them to improve as the campaign unfolds.