Why Salah has become a ‘little problem’ for Liverpool

In the eyes of Liverpool, especially against stronger teams, Mohamed Salah’s lack of defensive work seems to have become a little trouble.

I completely understand why Salah has been one of the most potent goalscorers in the world waiting high up the pitch to the right for the transition, according to Reds manager Arne Slot, who has told him not to track back.

However, the players in his place are improperly covering him, which has caused whoever has played right this year to have a lot of issues.

They are in trouble because they are facing a 2v1 overload on their side, whether that is Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, or Dominik Szoboszlai.

I find it hard to believe that Slot is instructing Salah to follow his right-back.

It was obvious that Salah wasn’t following Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, and Slot would not accept that.

Instead, Slot gives Salah the option to focus solely on attacking play, which is admirable because there are plenty of other teams doing this.

Yes, there are times in a game when you’re under pressure and you’re taking responsibility for your actions rather than just back.

Salah’s defensive performance against Liverpool last year was among the best I’ve seen from him, and I know I can do it too.

Salah’s issue is more with how Liverpool is set up behind him, especially when playing against the better teams.

Because of the lack of space, it seemed like Chelsea were moving the ball forward and then shifting it to their left, which the other players needed to be able to help more and more quickly.

When a Liverpool midfielder left space in the pockets in front of the defense because they were losing a middle man, whether it was Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister, they left space in the pockets.

Salah may have changed his role this year, but because he isn’t scoring at the other end, his defensive skills are probably increased.

I’m not really concerned about his form because he will always do well in terms of his finishing.

He had some excellent chances against Chelsea, but he only occasionally shot when he should have, and the other way around.

My main concern with Liverpool right now is that they don’t have as much control over their games as they did last year.

With all the personnel changes over the summer and the number of players who missed the pre-season, there are obviously mitigating factors, but last season Slot’s Liverpool appeared to be so adept at managing games that that is no longer the case.

They appeared to have a strong defensive structure, and Slot’s more possession-based approach gave them greater control.

People immediately recognized how much more effective he had been in the organization than Jurgen Klopp’s was.

I keep seeing Liverpool give the ball away, but I don’t think this is an unresolvable situation because of the fact that there are a few things that aren’t right about the team.

Liverpool’s approach to playing doesn’t need to change just because they have some new players and different kinds of players. They just need to return to being a little more composed and patient.

The good news is that they are only one point behind Arsenal as a whole and still have time to fix issues.

The physical component will be lost as soon as the players like Alexander Isak, Mac Allister, Bradley, and Hugo Ekitike, who had a bad pre-season, can return to full fitness.

Whether it’s between the right-back and Salah or Florian Wirtz and Isak, maintaining good relationships on the pitch takes time too.

There is therefore no need to be alarmed. You are only one week away from “catastrophe” and criticism in the Premier League, as it is currently felt by all teams, not just Liverpool.

Realizing this, Arsenal and Manchester City will likely experience similar events this season, as well as what happened at Liverpool this week.

City won’t actually compete for the title, but if Erling Haaland stays healthy, they will.

Arsenal, defensively, look fantastic once more, and after seven games, they appear very comfortable doing what they did everywhere on the pitch. It looks like a continuation of last year, with a little bit more depth and quality.

It seems like there is currently more rebuilding associated with Liverpool. However, everyone is hoping that their season will improve as they continue to find the right balance and combinations.