As Liverpool ramps up its preparations for the new campaign in preseason, Dominik Szoboszlai has outlined the clear weakness that has been spotted in the match against Leeds.
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool arrives at the stadium prior to the Pre-Season Friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United
Dominik Szoboszlai has outlined a weak area for Liverpool after facing Leeds United(Image: (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai has made it clear that the team must improve at defending set-pieces, following a 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in preseason.
Andoni Iraola named another side that contained a mixture of first-team stars and academy prospects, though there were some key returns for the clash in Chicago on Sunday.
Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak, and Florian Wirtz all made their way back into the side after the World Cup break, with the latter getting his name on the scoresheet in the first half.
A cool finish from the German doubled Liverpool's lead, after youngster Luke Chambers volleyed home the opener after just seven minutes, putting the Reds in control of the tie in impressive fashion.
Changes followed at half time, and that's where things started to fall apart for the Merseyside outfit. A 25-minute onslaught saw Leeds fight back to win the game, with a brace from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, followed up by goals from Brenden Aaronson and Sean Longstaff.
It was a far from ideal end to what has been a chaotic preseason tour for Liverpool, which had two positive results before the finale against the Premier League outfit.
It was notable that two of the goals from Leeds came from long throws, as both times a player won a flick-on at the near post, a player appeared unmarked at the far post to score.
For Szoboszlai, who was captain for the day, it's clear that the defending on those set-pieces needs to be improved. He said after the match: "Set pieces, we need to do our job. We are human beings, we will make mistakes. But we have to react… we have to focus on that now.”
He went on to add: "Now we know we conceded two goals from set-pieces. We have to sort them out. We need to take care of them.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 02: Giorgi Mamardashvili #25 of Liverpool FC punches the ball as Sebastiaan Bornauw #33 of Leeds United attempts a header during the second half at Soldier Field on August 02, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
It's certainly an area of concern, following the pattern of the match, though the return of some key defenders like Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet could improve the defensive capabilities - especially with the former, who is often used zonally to win the initial headers before they develop into a chance.
While there could be an improvement with players being reintroduced, the set-piece issues are a theme that have carried on through the previous campaign.
No team conceded more goals from set-pieces than Liverpool, with 20 across the Premier League campaign, despite only facing the 12th-most shots from those opportunities.
As per Opta, teams managed to get a shot off against the Reds from a set-piece on 34 per cent of occasions, or roughly one in every three, putting them fourth in the standings for the most.
It suggests the team needs to do more to prevent the shots from happening in the first case, a task that Iraola is being faced with in the season ahead.