How inswingers and Van Dijk focus have boosted Liverpool's set-piece output
The Reds' record from set-pieces has improved since a staffing change in December - but is that the sole reason why?
There may not have been enough of them so far this season, but there is no question that Liverpool earned a fully deserved win over Sunderland on Wednesday evening.
Arne Slot’s side outshot (23-11), outduelled (55-42) and - most crucially of course - outscored (1-0) the Mackems as they put on a battling performance in tricky conditions at the Stadium of Light.
Yet it speaks volumes about the nature of the Premier League this season that, despite their dominance, the Reds still needed a set-piece to decide the game in their favour.
For all the magical Florian Wirtz touches and incisive building through the thirds, it was a corner dropped onto Virgil van Dijk’s head that got the job done.
And it will not have gone unnoticed by most supporters that this represented a change from the pattern seen in the early parts of the campaign, when the Premier League champions would most likely have instead lost a tight game in this manner.
It is tempting to suggest that recent improvements on this front are all down to the dismissal of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in late December, not least because there is evidence to suggest that view has merit.
At that point, the Reds’ Premier League record from such situations read: three scored and 12 conceded, adding up to a goal difference of minus nine.
Since then, they have scored five and conceded two for a positive goal difference of three - a noticeable uptick.
There have been attempts to solely credit set-piece analyst Lewis Mahoney for this given he now takes a place on the bench, though that is understood to be simply down to the fact there is a space available.
Meanwhile, club sources are keen to insist that, since Briggs’ departure, any coaching of this aspect has been a collective effort, and that there has been no additional time dedicated given that Liverpool have plenty of other things to work on.
However, no matter who is directly responsible, it is privately acknowledged that there has been a clear and important shift towards maximising the team’s biggest box threat, Van Dijk, much as Arsenal have done so successfully with Gabriel in recent years.
And evidence of the long overdue cribbing routines from other clubs could be seen in the human wall that blocked Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs for the winning goal on Wednesday.
