No team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more set-piece goals (12) this season than Liverpool. It became Arneslot’s kryptonite.
Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Brentford, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Tottenham and most recently Wolves have all found ways to exploit such weaknesses this season. Some more than once.
Before conceding a goal at home to Wolves at the weekend, Slott described the set-piece as an “add-on”. Given the evolution of the Premier League in recent years, he is probably among the few head coaches who still think that way. Many would argue that they have become fundamental.
There is no doubt that Liverpool’s set-piece balance at both ends of the pitch is well below the level required to compete within the top four. If net goals from set pieces were a measure of league standings, teams in the slot would be at the bottom.
So where do they go wrong?
corner problem
Only West Ham (10) have conceded more goals from corner kicks than Liverpool’s seven this term, a percentage Slott described as “ridiculous”.
Starting from the source, Liverpool have faced 85 corners so far this season, which puts them in the middle of the table and equates to a goal every 12 corners. The Hammers have played 114 games so far, conceding an average of every 11 games. By comparison, league leaders Arsenal only had to defend 55 games.
But, strangely enough, Liverpool don’t necessarily concede in the traditional way. They rarely lose on first contact, which explains their low xG in the diagram below, and points to problems in the second phase, as pointed out by captain Virgil van Dijk on Saturday.
He called Liverpool’s failure to respond in the second defensive phase a “killer”. This means that Liverpool are unable to react or respond adequately when the ball is loose in the penalty area or recycled by the opposition team.
Harry Maguire’s second-half winning goal against Manchester United at Anfield in October was actually the only time Liverpool conceded directly from a header (i.e. lost on first contact), but the cross from Bruno Fernandes came in the second phase of a corner kick after Brian Mbeumo’s initial shot had been blocked.
White shirts are lined up on the post in the back, but no one is wearing a marker.
Three Manchester United players left unmarked at the back post from the second phase of the corner
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Harry Maguire heads home from a corner as Man United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.
This suggests that the initial structure, with some players marking touches firmly and others marking zonally, stops free headers on goal, but fails to address what happens in the next phase. Many factors have contributed to this, but a quick read will tell you that Liverpool switched off too soon. Lack of aggression doesn’t help either.
If Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are expected to dominate in the air with their attacking deliveries, the rest of the squad will need to be ready to win the next duel. Often they are not in a position to do so, giving opposing players too much space or being completely unmarked.
A similar thing happened against Wolves, when Santi Bueno was able to get a free pass past Alisson, with five Liverpool defenders on the other side.
Santi Bueno allowed Wolves to score from a corner kick unmarked at the weekend
Bueno had free control of the six-yard box and scored.
As many as five Liverpool defenders switched off from the second phase of the corner, allowing Bueno free control of the six-yard box.
On this occasion, Konate and Van Dijk completely missed first contact, but this is not the only time that has cost them this season. Against Leeds earlier this month, Ao Tanaka hung out at the back post and easily scored the equalizer in stoppage time when everyone in red was drawn to the ball from a lofted angle. Liverpool host Leeds in their return game on New Year’s Day, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Aoi Tanaka was released from a corner kick and Leeds equalized, resulting in a 3-3 draw.
The slots need to realize that defensive reinforcements in January are a must, alongside a stronger plan to prevent such failures from being prevalent for the rest of the season. Neither can escape necessity.
Are set pieces just accessories?
Most Premier League managers would simply answer ‘no’ to this question. Nevertheless, Mr. Slott’s rhetoric seems to suggest that he underestimates their importance.
That seems to have been a mistake, given that over 50 per cent of Liverpool’s goals conceded this season have come from set pieces (including penalties).
Equally concerning, however, is the lack of productivity from set-piece situations at the top end. There has been a surge in set-piece goals in the league this season, and the teams that are effective in this area tend to be those competing at the far right of the table.
Man United have the best result in the Premier League (13 goals), followed by Arsenal (12). Leeds (12th) are perhaps the only exception in the most successful top five, which also includes Chelsea (11th) and Aston Villa (9th).
And it would be a mistake to think that the set-piece phenomenon is unique to England. Taking the French league as a case study, first-placed Reims have scored the most goals in Ligue 1 with 10 from set pieces, while PSG’s second-highest total of nine points is in line with their league position.
Slott said he was “very frustrated” by the poor performance, but little has improved since then. Liverpool’s appointed set-piece specialist Aaron Briggs has spent most of his career as an analyst, and it is notable that despite being an experienced coach, he has never taken on the role of a set-piece specialist before.
Eighteen games into the season, this poor performance is far more than just bad luck. Perhaps it’s time to fully embrace the set-piece revolution. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming increasingly obsolete.
Watch Liverpool vs Leeds live on Sky Sports Main Event on January 1st. Kickoff 5:30pm
