Slot makes it clear who Liverpool are trying to emulate | OneFootball

Liverpool Find Set Piece Rhythm as Arne Slot Eyes Arsenal Benchmark

Liverpool head into another decisive Premier League weekend with renewed confidence, yet Arne Slot has made clear that progress does not equal perfection. After a 5-2 victory over West Ham at Anfield, attention has already shifted to Arsenal and their meeting with Chelsea, and to an area of the game that continues to shape title races, set pieces.

Slot’s Liverpool produced their most convincing display from dead ball situations this season. Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister all scored from corners, a sequence that altered both the scoreline and the mood. For a side that has flirted with dominance without always converting it, the timing felt significant.

Set Piece Revival at Anfield

“‘We created quite a lot of chances from set-pieces in the first part of the season and almost every set-piece we conceded went in, and today you could see exactly the opposite happening,’” Slot said.

The sense from the Liverpool manager was that balance had been restored. “’I think one of their first big chances was a set-piece that would have gone in in the first six or seven months [of the season], 100 per cent sure. But now we did it and we start scoring from set-pieces and then things look much brighter and better than when you don’t, and that’s really pleasing for us, for the team and for our fans as well.’”

Liverpool have now recorded three straight Premier League wins for the first time since December. More tellingly, they have begun to resemble a side capable of dictating matches in moments that once unsettled them.

Arsenal Standard Still in Sight

Yet Slot’s gaze remains fixed on Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s team have scored 17 league goals from set pieces this season, five more than Liverpool’s 12. That gap once stood at a striking distance.

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“‘There was a period of time that we were 23 goals behind Arsenal in set-pieces, including penalties, by the way. And we’re still not only three goals away from them but we’ve closed the gap a little bit,’” Slot admitted.

For Liverpool, the issue has been both execution and endurance. “’Things went back to normal, mainly, because I just said that we’ve created quite a lot of chances in the first half of the season that constantly did not go in, or too many times did not go in with being unlucky. We were a lot of times very close.’”

There have been subtle tweaks. “’Maybe one or two small details have changed defensively and offensively, I think we are set up slightly, slightly different. But the biggest reason is that things go back to normal.’”

Chelsea Clash Could Reinforce Gap

Slot suspects Arsenal’s authority in this department will again surface against Chelsea. “’Although you never know what can happen this weekend with Arsenal because I wouldn’t be surprised if they scored three from set-pieces this weekend as well.’”

For Liverpool and Arne Slot, improvement has been tangible. The broader challenge is sustaining it. In a league decided by margins, control over corners and free kicks can prove decisive. Liverpool have rediscovered that truth. Arsenal still embody it.