Liverpool’s Mixed Fortunes: Optimism Amidst Set-Piece Struggles

There are compelling reasons for optimism at Anfield as Liverpool gears up to welcome the New Year, especially with several of their summer signings beginning to find their footing in the team.

Unfortunately, their highest-priced acquisition, Alexander Isak, remains sidelined until at least March due to a broken leg sustained while scoring his second league goal for the club. Given his prior difficulties in achieving match fitness, his debut season on Merseyside is already looking bleak.

Fortunately for Liverpool, Hugo Ekitike has not only stepped in as a capable alternative to Isak but has emerged as a standout striker. The Reds’ recruitment team anticipated good performances from the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward, but he has exceeded expectations remarkably. Only Erling Haaland has scored more non-penalty goals than Ekitike (eight) in this season’s Premier League after 18 matches, with the France international netting five times in his last four outings.

The 23-year-old has benefited from a consistent run of starts and improved fitness levels, which manager Slot noted last week. Ekitike’s influence on Liverpool’s play was brilliantly highlighted by his exceptional assist for Florian Wirtz in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Wolves. Wirtz’s goal marked his first since joining Anfield for an initial £100 million, and his joyous celebration reflected his relief after a stellar individual performance that left the Wolves defense in disarray. Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge even drew comparisons between the diminutive German and the legendary Peter Beardsley.

While the weakness of the opposing team is worth noting, Wirtz’s decisive and dynamic display has been long anticipated. Slot has emphasized that Wirtz has been performing well for some time, increasingly resembling his Bayer Leverkusen form with each match. Part of his improvement can be attributed to physical training; the added muscle he has gained since the season’s start has aided his adaptation to the demands of English football.

“I understand it’s the hardest league in the world, and I need to get accustomed to the physicality and the players in midfield,” he stated to BBC Sport on Saturday. “With each game, I feel better, and I aim to maintain that progress.”

Jeremie Frimpong has faced even more injury challenges than Wirtz, missing 14 of his first 27 matches as a Liverpool player due to two separate hamstring injuries, which stunted his momentum since arriving in the summer from Leverkusen. However, like Wirtz, Frimpong is finally on the cusp of returning to the form that made him a nightmare for defenders in the Bundesliga.

Though he has only logged 120 minutes since his return from injury, Frimpong has already contributed two assists. When asked about his impact on the Liverpool squad following his setup of Ryan Gravenberch’s opening goal against Wolves, Slot remarked, “Pace is what he brings, and that’s crucial in modern football. To create opportunities against teams that defend with many players, pace is vital.”

Indeed, Slot’s remark that set-pieces are not Liverpool’s “biggest strength” is a significant understatement. In reality, they represent a major weakness—an alarming issue in a league where over a quarter of goals scored arise from non-penalty dead-ball situations (28.6 percent). It’s no coincidence that Arsenal, boasting the best set-piece goal difference (+8), currently tops the table.

Liverpool’s ongoing struggles at set-pieces are undoubtedly a critical factor in their faltering title defense, with 12 of the 26 league goals they have conceded this season originating from corners (seven), long throws (two), and free-kicks (two)—a staggering 46%. This statistic is particularly shocking considering Liverpool did not concede any goals from dead-ball situations during the first half of the 2024-25 campaign.

So, what is going wrong? Despite not significantly altering their approach to defending set-pieces, as Virgil van Dijk has noted, it is not a case of defenders consistently losing aerial duels. Liverpool has actually won a greater share of aerial battles this season than any other Premier League team (57.2%).

The issue lies in their failure to clear lines properly or react swiftly to loose balls. “We must improve in this area,” Van Dijk acknowledged on Saturday. “At least 75% of the time, or even more, the problem is not the first contact but the second phase, which proves detrimental. We have defended many set-pieces well; however, we have conceded too many and failed to score enough ourselves.”

Indeed, Liverpool has converted only three goals from dead-ball situations, resulting in a minus-nine differential—the worst in the Premier League.

With this context, it is clear why the club parted ways with set-piece coach Aaron Briggs on Tuesday, as there had been no noticeable improvement, even during a run of seven consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, marked by conceding from corners in three of their last four matches.

While it is understandable to feel some sympathy for Briggs, whose appointment came in September after the club struggled to find a suitable external candidate during the summer, there is no guarantee that Slot and his assistants will yield immediate results in set-piece situations.

Liverpool’s upcoming opponents, Leeds, have scored more non-penalty goals from set-pieces (13) than only Manchester United, and they recently stunned the Reds with an injury-time equalizer from a corner.

Although Liverpool has won four consecutive matches in all competitions since facing Leeds, they have not done so convincingly. They required a last-minute penalty to secure a victory over Inter in a lackluster Champions League match, while Slot conceded they were “lucky” to emerge victorious against Brighton at Anfield.

In the 2-1 victory over Tottenham, Liverpool appeared toothless until Xavi Simons was sent off, and their performance was subpar even after Richarlison pulled one back, despite Spurs ending the match with nine men after Cristian Romero’s dismissal.

A promising first-half display against Wolves hinted at improvement; however, a poorly defended corner nearly cost them points against a team struggling in the league. This recurring issue underscores that the once formidable ‘mentality monsters’ are experiencing serious psychological difficulties.

Moreover, fans are concerned that there may also be a physical component to the team’s challenges. While players like Ekitike and Wirtz appear to be regaining their fitness and strength, key individuals such as Alexis Mac Allister and Gravenberch are struggling to keep pace with the intensity displayed by Dominic Szoboszlai, resulting in an imbalance in Liverpool’s pressing game.

The net effect is that while Liverpool enjoys possession more than any other team this season and ranks first in passes into the final third and penalty area, they have failed to exert the same control over opponents as in previous campaigns and have struggled to close out matches, leading to tense finishes.

Evidently, rectifying the issues surrounding set-pieces could significantly improve Liverpool’s season. While Slot claims “progress” is being made, this is only in the sense that their weaknesses have not cost them points in their last three league games. The reality is that they continue to grapple with consistency and composure during what has become a notably fruitful streak of results, a far cry from the five consecutive victories that launched their season.