If the 1-4 home defeat to PSV in the Champions League was the time when Arne Slot had to make a "enough" decision and remove Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup, then the real milestone could come from the narrow defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October.
The move that led to Chelsea's decisive goal, with Marc Cucurella comfortably breaking into the box before assisting Estevao, clearly exposed the weakness that opponents were trying to exploit when facing Liverpool. The Spanish full-back was left almost un marched, and it was his lack of concentration in defense that cost Liverpool.
In Liverpool's next matches in the Premier League, opponents have focused on digging deep into their right wing. This is also what Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher wants to say when mentioning Salah "pushing" the right-back into a difficult position - a tactical problem that is being exploited by the teams.
Defensive ability has never been Salah's strength, but under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been regularly protected by the mobility and defensive support of Jordan Henderson on the right wing. However, statistics show that Salah's defensive contributions have declined significantly since Klopp left Anfield.
Under Slot, that was the trade-off - or underlying agreement - that Salah had alluded to when helping Liverpool win the Premier League last season. The Egyptian star was "relieved" from most of his defensive duties, but in return, he had to repay with goals and assists on the attack front.
"Now I don't have to defend much anymore. It is difficult to say specifically, but the tactics have completely changed. I told Slot to give me a break when I defend, I will support him as much as I can in attack. And I'm happy to have done it. Of course, it was the coach's idea, but he is always very listened to" - Salah shared.
Salah can talk about "river promises", but perhaps Slot believes that he is the one who has broken his word. 6 goals (excluding penalties) in the last 33 appearances for Liverpool have spoken it all. That achievement is no longer enough to cover up or justify the problems Salah creates in the team's tactical system.
In the match against PSV, just a light shoulder contact from Mauro Junior was enough to escape Salah's loose chase before assisting, helping the Dutch team regain the lead at Anfield.
To a certain extent, this is inevitable. A decline in fitness at the age of 34 is a natural rule for Salah, and that not only affects his defensive ability but is also evident in his attacks. The total number of his accelerations has decreased, and the maximum speed is no longer as before. Maybe Salah simply doesn't have the physical strength to do that anymore, even if he really wants to.
Analysts show that until Salah can regain the attacking form that made him a legend at Liverpool, his becoming a weakness in defense is damaging the hope of regaining confidence almost on par with his own frank statements.
