Slot: “We hardly gave a chance away but the ball kept going in for the opposition” | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Set Pieces Turn Corner

Liverpool’s search for marginal gains under Arne Slot has rarely been more visible than in the scrutiny of their set pieces. From Bournemouth’s chaotic 3–2 to Manchester City’s ruthless transitions, the spotlight has fallen on details, not drama. Corners conceded, second balls lost, routines misfiring. Yet inside Kirkby, the narrative has been steadier than the noise outside.

Slot has now offered a clear defence of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs, insisting responsibility ultimately sits with him while praising the process behind Liverpool’s recent improvements. Speaking to club media in comments carried by Liverpool’s official channels, Slot said: “It would be very unfair to Aaron who was partly responsible for that because in the end I’m responsible for everything. So it’s always my end responsibility but he’s been we’ve been in that period of time so so so unlucky.”

The message is familiar to those who have tracked Liverpool’s analytical shift this season. Slot’s football has been framed as chess rather than chaos, structure rather than instinct. Set pieces are not isolated moments; they are data points inside a wider system.

Set Pieces Reflect Wider Tactical Picture

Liverpool’s vulnerability at dead balls earlier this campaign mirrored broader defensive instability.

Slot acknowledged that fortune played a role. “We all knew that it couldn’t go on like that because we we hardly gave away a chance in set pieces but every ball went in and we created multiple opportunities to score and the ball didn’t go in,” he said. The numbers support that view. Data from Opta and FBref showed Liverpool conceding a disproportionate share of goals relative to expected set-piece xG, a trend analysts predicted would regress.

For someone building dashboards and value-edge boards like you have been, it is a classic case of variance correcting over time.

Analytical Evidence Suggests Regression to Mean

Liverpool’s recent uptick, clean sheets from set plays against Brighton and Sunderland, improved aerial duel win rates, suggests improvement rooted in probability rather than panic. Analysts inside the club reportedly tracked shot-quality metrics showing opponents scoring from low-probability headers.

Slot’s comments reflect that calm approach. Rather than scapegoating Briggs, he framed the issue as variance and patience. That stance aligns with Liverpool’s recruitment and tactical philosophy under sporting director Richard Hughes: evidence-led decisions, minimal emotional swings.

Liverpool’s Marginal Gains Still Matter

Liverpool’s improvements here could be decisive. With Arne Slot balancing squad rotation, pressing intensity and attacking fluidity, every extra goal from a corner—or prevented from one—adds points. For a side chasing consistency after last season’s title high, that matters.

Slot’s defence of Briggs is therefore not sentiment; it is strategy. Accountability sits with the manager, trust remains with the staff, and process continues. Liverpool’s story this season has always been about evolution, not upheaval.