**Ex-Arsenal midfielder Anders Limpar has criticised Liverpool boss Arne Slot for making “excuses” after discussing the Reds’ problems defending set pieces.**
The Reds’ head coach used [**Arsenal**](https://walkon.com/blog/liverpool-transfer-news-arsenal-martin-zubimendi-smith/) as an example of a team whose success has relied on dead balls, and that remark led Limpar to interpret it as a dig at the league leaders:
“It’s just excuses, he can’t say that as an opposition manager. It doesn’t really matter how you win games, so long as you win games. Over the long run, you have to play all the best teams. To be criticised for scoring from set pieces or not, it’s a diabolical thing to talk about in my opinion.”
“I hate players who have excuses. I don’t like managers having excuses. Arne Slot has to cope with losing the last four league games on the trot. It’s not normal for them. Now, suddenly, they are having these setbacks and you have to cope with that as a manager, especially at a top club in the Premier League. It’s normal business. I hate players who have excuses. I don’t like managers having excuses.”
Can Liverpool fix their problems defending set pieces?
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It is fair to say that the Reds have not been doing enough to win second balls, but there is a lack of physicality and height in certain positions, which means that set-piece coach Aaron Briggs can only do so much to mitigate the danger that such situations pose.
Some have argued that the only way to rectify the issue is to buy players in January, but after spending £400m+ in the summer, that seems unlikely.
Goals conceded in the Premier League this season
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There is no doubt that set pieces have been a key reason for recent defeats. 6 of the 10 goals conceded have come from dead balls. 3 others have come from counter-attacks and 1 from a penalty.
Slot has made it clear that he isn’t seeking excuses for the team’s form, but it is up to the Dutchman to find solutions quickly or this season could turn into an unmitigated disaster.
[**Read more about the Liverpool First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://walkon.com/blog/liverpool-first-team-squad/)