Set-Pieces Solved? Liverpool’s Frankfurt Flip and the Pressure on Perfection
Football, fundamentally, is about finding an edge. Any marginal gain becomes critical in the relentless world of the Premier League, and for a team like Liverpool, chasing glory and maintaining supremacy, the spotlight often shines brightest on areas of historic weakness. Right now, that area is set-pieces, both attacking and defending.
After a debut season that saw Arne Slot deliver the unthinkable, a Premier League title, the pressure to maintain those standards is immense. But recent form has been a real cause for concern. Losing four on the bounce, against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea, and Manchester United, is simply not acceptable for this club. The team’s fragility from dead-ball situations has been a recurring nightmare, making the 5-1 away demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt a much-needed morale boost, particularly for what it revealed about this specific problem.
Briggs Under the Spotlight
The attention, inevitably, falls on the set-piece coach, Aaron Briggs. We know that in the modern game, coaches live or die by performance, and even a title-winning manager like Slot does not suffer fools gladly. David Lynch, speaking to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, shared some telling insights into the atmosphere, confirming: “Arne Slot was putting pressure on him and saying that things weren’t good enough. He’s got an analyst now and Liverpool needed to stop conceding set-pieces and start scoring them.”
Frankfurt provided a moment of genuine relief. “So yeah, it was nice to see Liverpool not concede from a set-piece and scored two of their own,” Lynch remarked, highlighting the immediate impact. But, as any seasoned observer of the game knows, one swallow does not make a summer. We need consistency.
Defensive Discipline, Attacking Edge
The dramatic shift in Frankfurt speaks volumes. “But just look at last night, Liverpool go from 1-1 to 3-1 up within a blink of an eye by scoring two set-pieces.” That quick-fire double was decisive, showcasing the power of a suddenly potent dead-ball threat. It transforms a game, instantly turning a tense, even scoreline into a commanding lead.
However, the analysis is never entirely rosy. Lynch observed that even during this success: “There was still a couple where they were giving fouls away in attacking set-pieces and that has been happening far too often.” Small details matter. Giving away cheap fouls negates the attacking opportunity and invites unnecessary pressure.
Expecting More From Key Players
The expectation is clear: this cannot be a flash in the pan. Liverpool boast some of the finest aerial talents in world football, and they simply must maximise them. The demand for more is palpable: “Liverpool need to be a bigger threat from set-pieces. We need to see Konate taking his chances and we need to see Van Dijk getting on the end of them.”
The challenge now is repetition. This victory must mark a genuine turning point, not just a blip of good fortune. The pressure remains on Briggs, Slot, and the players to demonstrate that the set-piece struggles are a thing of the past. If Liverpool are to continue their dominance and prevent four-game losing streaks, they have to nail the fundamentals. Set-pieces are precisely that.
