Liverpool are one of the least prolific sides from set-pieces in the Premier League this season
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Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium
(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
As a leggy Liverpool fell to a deserved defeat to Newcastle United in Sunday’s League Cup final, questions were understandably raised regarding Arne Slot’s rotation policy. The Dutchman had admitted earlier in the month that he preferred to select from a reduced 14-15 man quota, conceding a number of his fringe players deserved more opportunities than they had received under his watch as a result.
Eyebrows were raised when Slot first publicised such a stance back at the start of the season. But the Liverpool head coach was afforded the benefit of the doubt.
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And deservedly so, considering the Reds currently sit 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and have lost six times all season.
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But the past week has changed the narrative as Liverpool exited the Champions League at the round-of-16 to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. Following a gruelling 120 minutes, they were then unsurprisingly not at their best when putting in one of their worst ever final performances against the Magpies.
With fringe players Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott bright sparks of the bench at Wembley, and the likes of Wataru Endo impressing when turned to sporadically in recent weeks, it is easy to suggest in hindsight that Slot could have perhaps made better use of his full squad aid the Reds in their pursuit of multiple honours.
While his preferred smaller pool of talent is fine when in charge of a top team in the Eredivisie, Slot has perhaps learnt the hard way that demands are more intense at the top of end of English football.
It is hard to point the finger though, considering the Dutchman is still well on course to lead his side to Premier League glory at the first time of asking with a predominantly inherited squad.
Whether his squad stance changes after the summer transfer window, once he has added his own players to his ranks, only time will tell. If not, there will be a greater scrutiny if Liverpool tire again on the pitch.
But regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Slot’s use of his squad at Wembley and throughout the season so far, there is one thing he got spot on ahead of the League Cup final - set-pieces could make the difference.
"This final tells me the importance of set-pieces," said the Dutchman ahead of the game. "We had 13 set-pieces against PSG and we came so, so, so close to scoring a goal and in the end hit the post.
"These are the margins of football. And we all know, especially after what Arsenal have done the last few years in this league, the importance of set-pieces has become more obvious."
Liverpool scored their extra-time winner in the 2024 League Cup final through a corner as Van Dijk headed home Kostas Tsimikas’ set-piece, but the shoe was on the other foot during their latest trip to Wembley.
Dan Burn scored the opener for Newcastle at the stroke of half-time, heading home at the far post from a corner after beating Alexis Mac Allister to the set-piece to set his side on their way to victory.
Slot would admit he had been left surprised by the Magpies’ play, though defended while the Argentine was up against the towering centre-back. Meanwhile, Eddie Howe and Kieran Trippier admitted how they had worked on their set-pieces for two weeks and made a big tweak to ensure they could eradicate Virgil van Dijk’s defensive strengths.
Plenty has been made of set-pieces in the Premier League this season, with a number of clubs employing specialist coaches. Arsenal’s own efforts are perhaps the most-documented, with Mikel Merino’s winner against Chelsea on Sunday coming from a corner.
It was the Gunners’ 11th set-piece goal of the Premier League season and helped them close the gap on Liverpool. While still 12 points, after back-to-back defeats to PSG and Newcastle ended their hopes of multiple honours, the Reds will anxiously have one eye over their shoulder.
Arsenal have scored the third-most goals from set-pieces in the English top-flight this season with only Aston Villa (13) and both Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace (12) registering more. In contrast, only Fulham (three) have scored fewer set-piece goals than Liverpool’s own return of four.
It was a different story for the Reds last season under Jurgen Klopp when they scored 15 set-piece goals. Such a total was joint-fourth in the Premier League, with Arsenal top (20), Everton second (19) and Man City third (16).
Liverpool were in the market for a set-piece coach of their own last summer before newly-appointed first team individual development coach Aaron Briggs inherited such responsibilities. He was recently praised after Mohamed Salah’s opener against Man City from a well-taken corner routine.
“He has done his work very, very, very well and you don’t always see the result of that during games,” the Dutchman said. “Because many times we were close to scoring.
“I always say if you want to win a big game, you have to have a neutral balance on set-pieces or a positive one. When we go to Villa away and they score off a set-piece and we don’t, it’s so hard to win against a Villa, Chelsea or Arsenal.
“Today was the opposite, we scored from a set-piece and it gives you such a boost for this game. At the moment it wasn’t as though we were dominating the game. Set-pieces are vital.
“We started with a new group of people this season and you have to give them time. That is what you also see at Arsenal, when they started working it wasn’t immediate. It takes a while to see the results and that’s what we are hoping for in the upcoming 11 games as well.”
But evidently, Liverpool are yet to see immediate results with it proving costly against Newcastle at Wembley as the Reds were consigned to a ‘negative balance’ on set-pieces.
They can only hope it now does not prove to be their further undoing in the Premier League title-race, with Newcastle showcasing a potential Liverpool weakness.
As set-piece experts Arsenal ambitiously look to close the gap on Slot’s men at the top of the table, if the Reds' form does not pick up after the international break, their own limited set-piece returns could prove even more costly.
Liverpool do boast the most prolific attack in the Premier League having recorded 69 goals, and are second only to Man City in terms of open play goals (43 to 44). They also lead the way both from counter-attacks (13) and penalties (nine).
It is only set-pieces that are letting the Reds down on the scoring front this season. And there could be a bigger void to fill in front of goal still come the summer.
They can currently call upon the services of the top-flight’s leading goalscorer in 27-goal Mohamed Salah. But his future remains uncertain ahead of his contract expiring in the summer, with a number of Slot’s attacking ranks also being linked with moves away.
When you consider Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are also out of contract while Ibrahima Konate is also being linked with a move away, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Reds lose their best finisher in an attacking revamp, their most dangerous dead ball specialist and their two biggest threats at goal from set-pieces in quick-succession.
Slot was right when he said set-pieces are vital, and has publicly declared his happiness with the number of chances created. But there is still a drop-off in the number of goals itself. While he would be wise to reconsider his squad management, Liverpool’s return from dead-balls is something else that also needs to improve.
You only need to look at how things could have been if the Reds had found a way against either PSG or Newcastle in such set-piece scenarios to realise the difference it can make.
And with Arsenal’s own title-challenges enhanced because of their own set-pieces, Liverpool need no extra motivation to add this new string to their bow after their disappointing week to forget.