Liverpool abandoned proposed Arne Slot tactic after botched pre-season experiment | OneFootball

Liverpool were forced to pull the plug on one proposed tactic after trying it without success during their pre-season tour of the Far East in July.

Amid a summer of substantial change to his playing squad, Arne Slot also sought to implement some tactical tweaks while he had the comfort blanket of friendly fixtures, latching onto one set-piece tactic which has become somewhat in-vogue in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool abandoned long-throw experiment after pre-season

In an article for the Liverpool Echo reflecting on the Reds’ dreadful figures in terms of set-piece situations in both penalty boxes, Paul Gorst higlighted how some players worked on long throw-ins at LFC’s training camp in Japan.

Ryan Gravenberch, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez were among the players to test out the scenario on the tour to the Far East as Slot and his coaching staff looked for marginal gains ahead of the competitive action beginning in August.

However, the tactic was quickly abandoned after it became apparent that only Joe Gomez – who wasn’t in the camp due to an injury – came close to proving effective at taking long throws.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Liverpool have been appalling at set pieces this season

At least the Liverpool head coach was open to the idea of using long throw-ins to his team’s advantage, rather than viewing it as something which was beneath him, but the botched pre-season experiment duly saw it discarded.

Unfortunately, the Reds’ record from set pieces has been dire ever since. Only Wolves have fewer set-piece goals than our four in the Premier League this season (GIVEMESPORT), while the Reds have the joint-worst concession tally alongside Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest with 12 (BBC Sport).

Those figures will send a shiver up Slot’s spine, especially as upcoming opponents Leeds have scored more goals from dead-ball situations (14) than anyone else in the top flight (GIVEMESPORT), and John Aldridge was raging at how easily we conceded from a corner kick against Wolves on Saturday.

We’d like to think that set pieces will have comprised a substantial chunk of Liverpool’s training sessions in preparation for the visit of Daniel Farke’s side to Anfield on New Year’s Day, particularly with Dominic Calvert-Lewin in such excellent goalscoring form.

The Reds have put a dreadful autumn behind them with an unbeaten resurgence in December. That momentum needs to be carried into January, with nine fixtures across three competitions giving the Premier League champions an unforgiving start to 2026.