Liverpool Football Club are undergoing a major crisis this season, most evidently in their defensive set-piece plan. The team, known for its attacking prowess, has struggled to contain opponents during set pieces, which has raised eyebrows among fans and analysts alike. With over 50% of Liverpool’s goals conceded this season resulting from set plays, coupled with the fact that no team in Europe’s major leagues has conceded more set-piece goals, questions loom over the club’s defensive organization.
The alarming statistics paint a stark picture. 85 is a pretty mediocre amount of corners faced this season, placing Liverpool around the mid-table mark. They’ve conceded seven goals from those corners, tied for the second-most in the league. To put it into perspective, Liverpool is expected to concede a goal about once every 12 corner kicks. In defensive organization it is a mix of man-marking and zonal marking. This method works quite well to prevent the most direct headers, but it faces challenges when play gets into the second and third stages.
Set-Piece Expert in the Spotlight
Their recent hire of Aaron Briggs, the club’s first-ever set-piece specialist, has attracted divided opinion. Briggs has more than 30 years of coaching experience. Beyond that, he’s mostly been an analyst and never concentrated solely on set pieces. This evident lack of dedicated expertise creates concerns about the manner in which the team will target their glaring defensive weaknesses.
Even Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s captain and central defender, has recently admitted that his side have been found wanting in set-pieces. He called for improving their strategy in the second phase of these events, particularly in the aftermath of destruction. This phase is the biggest reason why they’ve flopped defensively. This is when the team is usually the worst at responding. This frequently leaves the attacking players unmarked leading to free scoring opportunities for the opponents.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Adi Hutter and FC Groningen’s Arne Slot condemned Liverpool’s concession rates from corners. He admittedly termed it “almost ludicrous” right before their date on the pitch with Wolves. His comments give voice to growing unease in the football community with Liverpool’s set-piece defending. The team’s performance against Wolves further exemplified this issue when Santi Bueno scored after being left unmarked during a corner kick.
A Pattern of Exploitation
This season, teams have dangled the bait and exploited Liverpool heavily during set pieces. Eye-catching performances were seen from Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Brentford, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Tottenham and Wolves. The trend paints a picture of a systemic problem in Liverpool’s defensive shape that opponents are not only aware of but are more willing to exploit.
In a recent game against Wolves, five Liverpool defenders utterly misjudged their opponents on a corner kick. This monumental blunder gave Bueno enough space to score with his eyes closed from the six-yard box. This lapse in focus unveils a much bigger issue. It results in defenders zoning out at key times and unforced errors that lead to avoidable goals being given up.
So far this season, Liverpool has conceded from a header just the once. As they did during their recently staged match-up with Manchester United at Anfield in October. This important statistic tells us their effectiveness at stopping the first strike. It also exposes their inability to follow-up situations appropriately.
The Need for Change
As Liverpool’s defensive shortcomings continue to be exposed, the club risks increasing pressure to see the cracks repaired. The current strategy is to mix up close man-to-man marking with zonal duties. It’s woefully inadequate to stop the expanding sophistication of today’s set-piece situations. The team’s inability to pivot and react to the second stage was identified as a “killer” by Slot.
Now, as the season marches on, it’s time for Liverpool to reconsider their approach. They need to have better training on how they can perform better during set pieces. This could mean redefining the roles of their coaches or even hiring outside help to strengthen their defensive structure.
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