The troubling trend that continues to hold back Slot's side

THOSE who have spent time in the company of Arne Slot this season will have noticed the Liverpool head coach has developed a bugbear for set-pieces.

- By PAUL GORST

Manchester United's Harry Maguire scores a late winner from a set-piece situation at Anfield back in October

Rarely has a press conference passed without the Reds boss discussing what has become a wider trend at the cutting edge of the English game.

With Arsenal's expertise helping them to the top of the Premier League as the New Year draws in and so many other teams fixating on becoming proficient in corners and long throws, it's no surprise to hear Slot, a tactical obsessive, speaking so consistently about the latest developments.

Liverpool themselves attempted to join the increasing number of teams who are looking to gain an advantage from long throws by working on it during the summer months.

On their preseason training camp in Japan, the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez all gave it a try as Slot and his backroom staff sought to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to improve.

The long-throw plan was eventually shelved when it became apparent Joe Gomez was the only player who came close to excelling at long throws.

Slot spoke in May about needing "more weapons" for Liverpool's attempts to defend the title and while many assumed, at the time, the Dutchman was talking about the summer transfer window, he was also speaking about adding more parts to the team's all-round game.

Liverpool initially advertised for a set-piece coach over the summer, saying the successful applicant would be "a tactical specialist responsible for maximising the team's performance in all set-piece situations".

The and their approach to defending and attacking set-pieces, designing an effective defence and specialised coaching on positions and man-marking assignments.