Liverpool sack key member of Arne Slot's coaching staff due to glaring team weakness

Set pieces have become a recurring problem for Liverpool this season, undermining otherwise strong performances and repeatedly handing opponents a route back into matches. With the issue refusing to fade, the club has concluded that a reset was unavoidable. Excluding penalties, no side in the Premier League has conceded more goals from set pieces than Liverpool’s tally of 12. Corners, in particular, have been a glaring weakness, with only West Ham United shipping more goals from that source. At the other end of the pitch, Liverpool have struggled to generate a consistent threat. They are averaging just 2.4 goals per 100 set pieces, a return bettered by every top-flight side except Brentford. Defensively, their record is just as concerning, with 8.2 goals conceded per 100 set pieces, a figure surpassed only by Nottingham Forest.

The impact of those shortcomings has been tangible in recent weeks. In back-to-back league games against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool appeared in complete control at 2-0. On both occasions, however, a set-piece goal shifted the momentum, forcing Arne Slot’s side into uncomfortable finales rather than comfortable victories.

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Briggs arrived at Anfield in July 2024, initially joining Slot’s backroom team as first-team individual development coach following the departure of Vítor Matos. Liverpool had originally sought a specialist set-piece coach but, unable to identify the right candidate, opted to hand that responsibility to Briggs. Last summer, the club attempted to refine the structure further by appointing Brazilian coach Luiz Fernando Iubel as individual lead coach, allowing Briggs to focus solely on set pieces. Despite those adjustments, performances failed to improve to the required level.

Captain Virgil van Dijk has not shied away from addressing the issue, saying: "We have defended so many set-pieces very well. But the fact is, we've conceded too many goals like that, and it hurts. We have to improve that. It's about repetition, training, analysing...it's something we have to improve. I'd say at least 75 per cent of the time, or even more, it's not even about the first contact, it's the second phase that is the killer."

Liverpool have no immediate replacement for Briggs lined up, with set-piece duties temporarily absorbed by existing members of Slot’s coaching staff. On the pitch, attention quickly turns to results. Liverpool host Leeds United at Anfield on New Year’s Day, aiming to extend their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.