Arne Slot has stated his new full-backs are to not blame for Liverpool's defensive points this season however his staff 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 objectives in six league video games up to now. Slot's facet 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 preserving the opposite staff away from our objective and usually that doesn't begin along with your defenders. Look into extra particulars – we've conceded 4 objectives 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 objectives 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 staff efficiency. Final season, we hardly conceded as a result of 11 gamers labored extremely onerous to cease the opposite staff having an opportunity. They're working extremely onerous this season however set items are a sport in themselves typically. We now have to return to that and we've 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 objectives out of a complete of 91 final season, though that determine contains penalties. Slot, who left Federico Chiesa out of Liverpool's travelling squad as a consequence of what he described as a “little niggle”, believes set items have gotten more and more decisive.
He added: “An increasing number of in soccer it's changing into a set-piece sport. It's a type you see increasingly, particularly within the Premier League as a result of you are able to do rather 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 been a pressure 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 menace posed to his place at centre-forward by the file £125m striker. Liverpool's summer time signing from Eintracht Frankfurt insisted: “We play in such an enormous membership. I can't see any massive golf equipment enjoying with only one striker within the squad. It's good that Alex is right here. For me, at my age, I've a variety of issues to enhance and be taught. It's good that he's right here.”
