Liverpool's Set-Piece Transformation Under Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola has pinpointed an unlikely source behind Liverpool’s transformation at set pieces this season – Ronald Araújo at right-back – but warned that Arsenal will provide the sternest examination yet of his side’s new-found resilience.
Liverpool have been almost flawless from dead balls in domestic competition. They have not conceded a single set-piece goal in the Premier League and have let in only one overall: Conor Gallagher’s late header for Tottenham in their Carabao Cup defeat at Anfield in September against Giorgi Mamardashvili.
That record bears no resemblance to last season’s fragility. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool shipped 20 non-penalty set-piece goals in the league, the joint-worst tally alongside Crystal Palace and Iraola’s own Bournemouth. Corners and free-kicks became an open invitation. This year, they look like a different team.
Iraola is not taking the credit alone. He highlighted the work of his assistants, Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, plus the club’s analysts, as central to the turnaround. But when he looks out at his back line, one change stands out.
“It definitely helps having a centre-back at right-back when we talk about defending set pieces,” he said, pointing to Araújo’s impact, with the added boost that Dominik Szoboszlai and Víctor Muñoz could return from injury on Sunday. “It helps with the height and the physicality of the team.
“It helps us to defend better but it is true that you also lose a little bit offensively on the other side. Offensively we cannot demand of Ronald the same thing as other full-backs and what they give us, but we have to balance this with other patterns.”
That trade-off has been clear. Liverpool have sacrificed some of the thrust and width usually associated with a modern full-back, yet they have gained a towering presence at the back post, a dominant marker in crowded penalty areas and an extra body to attack the first ball. The numbers speak for themselves.
Now comes Arsenal.
Last season’s champions turned set pieces into a weapon of their own, scoring 25 goals from dead-ball situations, excluding penalties, on their way to the title. So far this campaign, they have not hit the same stride, but the warning signs have started to flicker.
“It is very early in the season and they hadn’t scored [from set pieces] until last weekend and now they have scored,” Iraola said. “I hope they stay that way for a while but they are a big threat.
“From set pieces they are a big threat. They have very tall players who are very good headers and they work it very well. They give you a big demand and I think we will have to defend very well. I think we have, touch wood, dealt very well with defending set pieces so far this season. But Arsenal is probably the biggest challenge.”
The message is clear. Liverpool’s set-piece record has been rebuilt brick by brick, detail by detail, and reinforced by the presence of a centre-back masquerading as a full-back. On Sunday, against one of the league’s most sophisticated dead-ball outfits, they find out how strong those foundations really are.
