Journalist: Liverpool coach ‘under pressure’ as crisis continues against Leeds United | OneFootball

Liverpool Set Piece Concerns Raise Serious Questions

Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Elland Road carried the emotional chaos of a late equaliser, only to be undone by a 96th minute corner that exposed familiar vulnerabilities. It was another reminder that despite Arne Slot’s attacking fluency and possession control, the side continue to be undermined by set-piece frailties that simply refuse to go away.

David Lynch, who spoke to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, did not hold back when assessing the pressure surrounding Aaron Briggs, Liverpool’s set-piece coach. His comments offer a sharp insight into a structural weakness that is beginning to shape the narrative of Liverpool’s season.

Pressure Mounting On Briggs

Lynch put it plainly: “He has to be [under pressure] because the manager keeps bringing it up and clearly thinks that it’s influencing games.” When a manager repeatedly highlights the same issue in public, it becomes more than an isolated frustration. It becomes a fault line.

The picture he painted was stark. “Liverpool really aren’t very good at the moment but if they were as good at set-pieces as Arsenal, then they would genuinely be up there alongside them.” It is a damning comparison, not because Arsenal excel in open play, but because their consistency from dead-ball scenarios has become a defining strength.

In a league where high pressing and intricate build-up often cancel each other out, set-pieces are gold dust. Lynch reinforced that point: “The swing between the two sides on set-pieces is so vast and who in the league are actually playing nice and slick football? No one.”

Stark Statistical Gap

It is the numbers that really illuminate the problem. Lynch delivered the brutal reality: “They’ve got the worst defensive record from set-pieces and the second-worst attacking record, so that tells you everything that you need to know.”

When a team with Liverpool’s ambition allow such margins to grow, they invite jeopardy into every tight match. That jeopardy materialised at Elland Road. A lapse in concentration, a poorly executed structure, and suddenly two points vanished.

Slot prides himself on clarity, organisation, and repeatable patterns of play. Yet as Lynch noted, “The manager has got to be looking at this guy and thinking that he is giving me absolutely nothing right now.”

Photo: IMAGO

Game Changing Details

For all the talk of tactical evolution and squad rotation, football still comes down to decisive moments. Lynch summed it up with brutal honesty: “We would be foolish to not talk about it because it was the difference between three points and one point when you concede one in the 96th minute.”

Liverpool cannot afford to let set-piece shortcomings overshadow their broader progress under Slot. The framework is strong, the football is improving, and the squad is deep. Yet until the club address this Achilles heel, every match carries an avoidable risk.

Whether that means new ideas, new staff, or simply a recalibrated approach on the training ground, something must give. Title challenges are often settled on marginal gains and right now Liverpool are gifting too many away.