Paul Joyce highlights unexpected Liverpool weapon in set-piece improvement
Liverpool’s approach to set pieces has quietly evolved over the past few months, with Joe Gomez now playing a surprisingly important role in that shift.
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Dead-ball situations had been a major concern earlier in the campaign, with the Reds conceding far too often from corners and wide free-kicks during the opening months of the season.
However, new analysis suggests Liverpool have begun to find solutions, with one unexpected tactical weapon emerging in recent weeks.
Writing in The Times, journalist Paul Joyce pointed to Gomez as an increasingly influential figure in the team’s set-piece strategy.
Joyce wrote: “There has been an improvement in set pieces over the past three months, utilising Joe Gomez’s long throws and turning to inswinging corners as a new weapon, but the fans want to see that complemented with advancements in other areas.”
That observation reflects something supporters at Anfield have gradually noticed, with the England international now regularly launching long throws into dangerous areas of the penalty box.
Liverpool set-piece changes since coaching shift
The improvement in dead-ball situations comes after Liverpool made a significant coaching change earlier in the season.
Set-piece coach Aaron Briggs left the club at the end of December following a difficult period in which Liverpool had struggled badly at both attacking and defending dead-ball situations.
Before that change, the numbers were concerning.
The Reds had conceded more non-penalty set-piece goals than any other side in the Premier League, while also offering very little threat from corners or wide free-kicks in attack.
Since then, however, the picture has changed.
After the staff change, Liverpool went several matches without conceding from a set piece, while the team’s organisation during corners and indirect free-kicks has appeared far more controlled.
Joe Gomez offering Liverpool a different attacking option
Gomez’s long throw has become one of the unexpected additions to Liverpool’s attacking play.
The defender, the longest serving figure in the squad, provides a direct route into the penalty area that can unsettle defensive structures and create second-ball opportunities.
It’s a tactic that has become increasingly common across the Premier League, with clubs placing greater emphasis on marginal advantages from restarts.
For Liverpool, the development adds another layer to Arne Slot’s tactical options as the season enters a crucial period.
While supporters still want improvements in other areas of the team’s performance, particularly after the recent defeat to Galatasaray, the progress around set pieces suggests that at least one previously problematic aspect of Liverpool’s game is beginning to move in the right direction.
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