Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes the secret to overhauling their title rivals lies in a ‘+10’ set-piece balance.
The focus on set pieces in the Premier League has grown, and is something Slot is more than aware of.
The Dutchman was asked about them in his pre-Brighton and Hove Albion press conference on Friday.
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Curtis Jones in action during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
Credit: Gaspafotos/MB Media/ Getty Images
He admitted that it is impossible to win the Premier League with a set-piece balance like Liverpool’s, saying it needs to be much higher to even have a chance.
He said: “It’s actually impossible to win the league if you have a set-piece balance like ours. You need to have plus five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
“To even, no matter what you do in open play, to have a chance to win the league.”
Liverpool have made changes to set-piece coaching
Set pieces have been an issue for Liverpool this season, and it led to Aaron Briggs leaving the club in December when the Reds had the joint-worst set-play record in Europe’s big five leagues.
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There have been some improvements since, with Virgil van Dijk scoring from a corner to win 1-0 against Sunderland on Wednesday.
But Michael Owen still thinks Liverpool need a set-piece specialist who can deliver better balls into the box.
Speaking after the midweek clash at the Stadium of Light, he said: “They parted with their set-piece coach and brought it more in-house.
“When you have players like Van Dijk and Konate you have real presence in the box and they should be scoring more from them. They are very capable of scoring much more.
“One of the problems for Liverpool is the delivery. They don’t have a Rice or Saka. That has had an impact on how many goals they score. But for all the criticism they receive, that will taste nice tonight.”
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Jordan Henderson of Liverpool lifts The Emirates FA Cup trophy after their sides victory during The FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium
Photo by Naomi Baker – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
How to watch Liverpool vs Brighton FA Cup fixture
Liverpool and Brighton’s FA Cup meeting is set to take place on Saturday, February 14.
The clash will kick off at 8pm UK time, the final cup outing of the day.
In the United Kingdom, the fixture will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage for that tie getting underway from 7pm.
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