Arne Slot Blasts Premier League’s Set-Piece Takeover
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has fired a volley at what he sees as the Premier League’s growing obsession with dead ball dominance, admitting the modern top flight spectacle no longer sets his football heart racing.
With nearly 27.5% of this season’s league goals coming from non penalty set-pieces, the second-highest ratio since 2009-10, the English game is increasingly being decided not by flowing build up play, but by rehearsed routines from corners and free kicks.
Set pieces have become a potent weapon in the title race. Arsenal, for instance, have turned corners into a ruthless attacking blueprint, racking up 16 goals from flag kicks, a league high tally that has powered their championship charge. Liverpool themselves showcased their aerial artillery in a 5-2 demolition of West Ham, with all three first-half strikes stemming from corners.
Ironically, this resurgence has come despite the departure of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs from Anfield at the end of December. Since then, Slot’s side have still topped the charts for set-piece goals in 2026, excluding penalties proof that the training ground drills are paying dividends.
But while the numbers stack up, Slot isn’t sold on the style.
“You have to accept it,” he said ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers. “It feels like it’s mainly here in the Premier League. When I watch other leagues, I don’t see this much emphasis on set-pieces.”
The Dutchman pointed to officiating standards as part of the shift, suggesting English referees allow more physicality in the penalty area. “Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and play continues,” he remarked, highlighting the combative nature of Premier League box battles.
For Slot, raised on the artistry of Barcelona’s golden era a decade ago, football is about rhythm, movement and technical mastery. “When I think about football, I think about that Barcelona team, every week you couldn’t wait to watch them,” he reflected.
While he admits the Premier League remains gripping because of its relentless competitiveness “everyone can beat everyone”, he concedes the aesthetic appeal has changed. The modern English game, he believes, is becoming a chess match of routines rather than a canvas of creativity.
Still, Slot accepts that dead ball efficiency is now part of the tactical landscape. “We aren’t going to change it. This is the new reality,” he said, even suggesting the trend could trickle down to grassroots level, where teenagers might soon treat corners like decisive match points.
In a league where marginal gains separate contenders from pretenders, the set-piece has become the ultimate equaliser even if, for some purists, it comes at the cost of the beautiful game’s soul.
