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It seems that Mohamed Salah's lack of defensive work is emerging as a minor issue for Liverpool, especially when facing top-tier teams.

I can fully grasp if manager the Liverpool boss has instructed Salah not to track back, since staying high on the right side during transitions has made him one of the world's most dangerous goalscorers.

But, the teammates behind him fail to offer adequate cover, causing numerous issues for anyone is playing at the right defensive position in recent matches.

Whether it's Conor Bradley or Dominik Szoboszlai, they often find themselves in difficulty due to dealing with a 2v1 overload on their side.

This was a clear weakness on Saturday, resulting in Chelsea's winning goal – and the worry is that other sides will intelligently target this weak spot.

{'Salah Has Freedom to Skip Defensive Work

First of all, it's hard to believe that Slot is instructing the attacker to track back and support his defender.

If Salah was told to follow Chelsea's defender Marc Cucurella, then it was very evident he wasn't doing it, and Slot would not accept that.

Rather, Slot is allowing him the freedom to concentrate exclusively on attacking duties, which is fine – there are numerous examples of different clubs adopting similar approaches, with individuals who choose to conserve their stamina for forward actions.

Certainly, there are always specific situations in a match when you are conceding chances and you might take it upon yourself to track back.

It's known he is capable, since when Liverpool won at a top rival last season, his defensive performance was among the best I've seen from him.

But, he must have been specifically asked to perform that role on that day, which is why I don't blame him if he is asked to stay forward.

'The Real Issue Is How The Team Are Structured Behind Salah'

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

The other players must offer better and quicker assistance, because it felt like Chelsea were advancing the ball upfield and then shifting it to their left side, because that's where the space existed.

If a their central player went out belatedly – be it Ryan Gravenberch – then he created space in central areas in front of the back line because they were missing a man from the center.

This situation is less critical when facing teams that you dominate possession against – evidenced by Liverpool previous league wins playing such tactics – but they need to improve because the top sides will take advantage.

'Liverpool Have Lost Command of Games'

It isn't as if Salah has altered his role recently, but since he is failing to find the net in attack, perhaps the defensive side of his performance is more noticeable.

I'm not overly concerned about his current performance, as he will return to form – he always does – in terms of his goal scoring.

He got into some excellent situations against their opponents but maybe took a chance when he could have assisted, and the opposite, but those chances will continue and the goals will come.

My main concern with Liverpool currently is their reduced control in games relative to the previous campaign.

It has been a disappointing period for them, of course, not only to lose three matches in a row in the domestic league and Champions League but as the display standards have fallen below expectations.

There are extenuating circumstances, certainly, with all the squad adjustments in the summer and the several of players who missed pre-season, but previously Slot's side appeared very good at controlling matches and that is no longer the case.

It seemed like their organization was solid, and his more possession-based approach brought greater control.

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

Currently, however, observing them and it appears a bit chaotic. The last half-hour of the recent match was hectic it felt like a knockout game – they had chances to secure victory, but conceded several opportunities too, which is why they ended up losing.

{How Can Slot Fix Liverpool Problems?

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

Even though they have some new players – and varied profiles too – they should not need to change their approach. They simply require to get back to being a bit more patient and calm.

Good news is they are only one point adrift of leaders the front-runners and have time to correct the things that are going wrong.

The physical aspect they are missing will come as the players who did not have a proper training camp, like midfielders and full-backs, will reach peak fitness shortly.

Developing proper relationships on the pitch always takes time too, whether it be between the defender and the forward or additional key pairings.

So, there is no need to panic. It feels like at the moment in the Premier League, and not only with Liverpool but with all teams, you are a single match away from 'catastrophe' and scrutiny.

The reality is the recent results to them recently will likely happen at some stage to other contenders and rivals this season.

I had not previously believed City would be in the title race, but if a key attacker remains motivated and fit they will be in contention.

The London club, in defence, appear excellent again and, overall, after seven games they seem very comfortable in what they are doing across the pitch – it seems a continuation of last season, with an added layer of quality and squad strength.

With Liverpool it seems more of a transition right now. But although there is still work to do for them to find the optimal equilibrium and combinations, it is expected all is anticipating them to improve as the campaign advances.