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Arne Slot acknowledged the increasing focus on set-pieces, but opined that it has sucked the joy out of the sport for him.
Arne Slot. (AP)
Liverpool gaffer Arne Slot rued the shift in focus to set-pieces in top-flight English football and opened up on how it has sucked the joy out of the game for him.
Liverpool have struggled against and with set-pieces in the ongoing campaign, but have managed to address it with seven of their last nine goals coming from deadball situations.
“First of all, you have to accept it. I think it’s mainly here in the Premier League,” Slot said.
“If I watch other leagues, I don’t think there’s so much emphasis on set pieces,” the Dutchman added.
Slot also opined that shot-stoppers in the Premier League were given far less protection as compared to their counterparts operating in other leagues around the world.
“Here you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and the referee still says just go on,” he said.
“Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it.”
Slot recollected the brilliance of Pep Guardiola’s Barca in their heyday, but added that the set-piece trend is here for the long-haul with the efficiency it has created.
“Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch,” he said.
“But it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive, and that is what makes this league great, because there’s so much competitiveness, everyone can beat everyone.”
“Maybe in five or ten years’ time things will change again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you go to an under-16 game somewhere… I wouldn’t be surprised if you see teams completely being focused, 16-year-olds on set-pieces,” he said.
“That’s the new reality, and I have my opinion about it, but it doesn’t change,” he concluded.
Liverpool, who stand fifth in the league with 48 points from 28 games, travel to take on bottom-placed Wolves in their upcoming PL fixture.
United Kingdom (UK)
March 03, 2026, 08:15 IST
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