Liverpool have promoted summer hire Lewis Mahoney to Arne Slot‘s bench for matchdays, with the analyst promoted after set-piece coach Aaron Briggs’ exit.
Who is Lewis Mahoney? Liverpool’s New Bench Analyst
The promotion: Lewis Mahoney has been moved from a ‘behind-the-scenes’ role at the AXA to a permanent spot on Arne Slot’s matchday bench.
The catalyst: He effectively replaces Aaron Briggs, who was sacked as set-piece coach in December following a run where Liverpool conceded 12 set-piece goals.
Immediate impact: Since Briggs’ sacking, the Reds have not conceded from a set-piece in six matches and kept three clean sheets.
Mahoney’s career path: The 37-year-old Welshman holds a UEFA B License and previously served as an analyst at Swansea, Bristol Rovers and Southampton.
Set-pieces, and particularly conceding sloppy goals from free-kicks, corners and throw-ins, was one of the major issues for Liverpool in the first half of the season.
The club decided to take action at the end of December with Briggs, who had only taken up the official role of set-piece coach in the summer, sacked from his position.
Liverpool’s immediate solution has been to divide Briggs’ duties between Slot’s existing staff – and that has included a promotion of sorts for Mahoney.
Joining from Southampton in September, 37-year-old Mahoney assisted in his role as first-team set-piece analyst, with the majority of his work conducted at the AXA Training Centre.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Friday, August 15, 2025: Liverpool's first team individual development coach Aaron Briggs during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
But he has now taken Briggs’ place on the staff bench on matchdays, sitting next to assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst along with goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero.
It is now Mahoney’s job to analyse situations in realtime during games and providing direct feedback to Slot and his coaches.
While the influence of a set-piece coach or analyst is difficult to quantify, it is notable that Liverpool have not conceded from a set-piece in any of their six games since Briggs’ departure while keeping three clean sheets.
In fact, Dominik Szoboszlai credited his free-kick goal against Marseille on Wednesday night to the “homework” of analysts such as Mahoney.
MARSEILLE, FRANCE - Wednesday, January 21, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai scores the first goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Olympique de Marseille and Liverpool FC at the Stade Vélodrome. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“I got told that if no one is lying down then maybe I can have a chance to hit it under the wall,” the midfielder told TNT Sports.
“No one was lying down, so I tried it and it worked out!”
Liverpool’s other analysts include Jansen Moreno (head of first-team analysis), Roderick van der Ham (first-team tactical analyst), Daniel Spearritt (post-match analyst) and Joel Bonner (post-match analyst).
All four are often seen working high in the stands on matchdays and are a clear line of contact for Slot, his staff and the players.
Mahoney holds a UEFA B License and began his career as an analyst with Swansea, before moving to Bristol Rovers in 2020 and then Southampton in January 2024.