Arne Slot has stated his new full-backs are to not blame for Liverpool's defensive points this season however his workforce should enhance at set items given their growing significance within the fashionable sport.
Liverpool have been weak all through an in any other case spectacular begin to the marketing campaign and have shipped seven targets in six league video games up to now. Slot's aspect conceded simply two within the first six video games of final season's title-winning season.
The introduction of two new full-backs, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, has been cited as a contributory issue as Liverpool adapt to the top of the Trent Alexander-Arnold/Andy Robertson period. However Slot insists the issue is collective, and recognized Liverpool's set-piece defending as in want of enchancment after Crystal Palace scored from two when inflicting a primary league defeat of the season on the champions on Saturday.
Earlier than Tuesday's Champions League conflict in opposition to Galatasaray in Istanbul, the Liverpool head coach stated: “One in all our strengths final season was conserving the opposite workforce away from our purpose and usually that doesn't begin along with your defenders. Look into extra particulars – we've conceded 4 targets from set items this season. We've modified our full-backs – we've modified a bit greater than our full-backs – however after I take into consideration the targets we've conceded the very first thing that involves thoughts just isn't that the full-backs are an issue.
“It's at all times a workforce efficiency. Final season, we hardly conceded as a result of 11 gamers labored extremely laborious to cease the opposite workforce having an opportunity. They're working extremely laborious this season however set items are a sport in themselves typically. We have now to return to that and we've got to show within the upcoming video games and months that we don't usually concede from set items. It's one thing we undoubtedly have to enhance. I see groups within the Premier League that win video games by set items and we lose video games by set items.”
Galatasaray scored 24 set-piece targets out of a complete of 91 final season, though that determine consists of penalties. Slot, who left Federico Chiesa out of Liverpool's travelling squad because of what he described as a “little niggle”, believes set items have gotten more and more decisive.
He added: “Increasingly in soccer it's turning into a set-piece sport. It's a fashion you see increasingly, particularly within the Premier League as a result of you are able to do far more comparable to assault a goalkeeper and even contact a goalkeeper and it's not a foul. I do know Galatasaray are sturdy at set items however we've got been a drive at set items final season. We received our final Champions League sport with a set piece from Virgil [van Dijk].”
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Hugo Ekitiké, in the meantime, has stated he welcomes the signing of Alexander Isak regardless of the risk posed to his place at centre-forward by the document £125m striker. Liverpool's summer time signing from Eintracht Frankfurt insisted: “We play in such a giant membership. I can't see any large golf equipment taking part in with only one striker within the squad. It's good that Alex is right here. For me, at my age, I've quite a lot of issues to enhance and be taught. It's good that he's right here.”
