Revealed: Why Liverpool sacked set-piece coach and what comes next
Aaron Briggs has been dismissed from his role after a disastrous first half of the season in set-piece terms.
You did not have to be close to the inner workings of Liverpool Football Club to deduce that the club’s set-piece coach Aaron Briggs was under pressure this season.
Arne Slot could not keep himself from constantly mentioning in press conferences and embargoed briefings that his team would not have been in quite as bad a position were it not for their weakness from corners and free-kicks.
And the fact is he was right, given that no team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more than the Reds’ 12 goals from such situations, while their three scored is the second worst record in the Premier League.
It was considered controversial by some to point out that, ultimately, this wasn’t Slot’s responsibility, even if his title of head coach implies oversight of every aspect.
But the Dutchman found himself in a difficult position whereby any intervention on set-pieces might have left him open to accusations of not allowing a fellow coach to carry out his remit.
Instead, he almost had to let the situation deteriorate to this point before sporting director Richard Hughes - who, of course, appointed Briggs - would be forced to act.
That point has now arrived and, in truth, we should perhaps not be surprised by how this particular Anfield career has played out.
Briggs is said to be well-regarded behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre and was part of a title-winning coaching staff last season but, in reality, his duties always felt somewhat cobbled together.
The Englishman initially arrived to replace Vitor Matos as a key link between academy and first team, but was then immediately given oversight of set-pieces almost as an afterthought.
And there was at least a whiff of sidelining in the decision to make the set-piece aspect full-time this summer as Luis Fernando Iubel was appointed individual lead coach.
