Liverpool’s set-piece coach Aaron Briggs has paid the price for the champions’ continuing frailties and has left the club.
The decision follows the concession of a 12th goal from set pieces this season — seven from corners alone — in Saturday’s nervy 2-1 win over bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Briggs was appointed to the specialist role of set-piece coach in September after Liverpool had initially advertised the role externally. He joined the club at the start of the 2024-25 season as a member of Arne Slot’s backroom staff.
Responsibility for set pieces will now lie with Slot and the rest of the coaching staff, including Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
After the exit of Briggs, right, responsibility for set pieces will belong to the existing backroom staff, including Van Bronckhorst, left
JASON CAIRNDUFF/REUTERS
Slot has repeatedly bemoaned Liverpool’s set-piece difference this season, which stands at -9 at present, and claimed that unless there was an improvement his side would not finish in the top four. The league leaders Arsenal boast a set-piece difference of +8.
No side in Europe’s top five leagues have conceded more than 12 (Liverpool are level with Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest) and they have scored only three goals.
Points were dropped against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Leeds United to name just a few occasions when Liverpool conceded from set plays, and Virgil van Dijk labelled the vulnerability as a “killer” at the weekend.
Van Dijk described Liverpool’s problems from set pieces as a “killer” after the 2-1 win over Wolves
PETER BYRNE/PA
As has become the norm in the Premier League with other set-piece coaches, Briggs assumed responsibility at corners by stepping into the technical area during matches, with Slot taking a back seat.
During the loss at Manchester City earlier this season Alexis Mac Allister was spotted going over to the bench after one set piece and calling for instructions from Briggs.
Liverpool’s continuing susceptibility means the club felt that an intervention was required and a mutual decision was taken to see Briggs move on.
Slot said recently that the set-up was the same as last season and added: “I know the importance of set pieces — it gets more and more and more. That’s why we are so annoyed by our current record, because it’s impossible to [finish in the] top four, top five with our set-piece balance, let alone winning the league.
“Our set-up is the same. Defensively, our set-up is the same as almost any other team in the league. And if you look at xG, then you wouldn’t expect us to concede so many goals. So, you could argue then if things go back to normal, we will not concede as much any more.
Slot said he was “annoyed” by Liverpool’s record from set pieces this season
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“But after half a season is it still a coincidence that we concede so much more than what you would expect us to concede? That’s a difficult one.”
The reliance on set pieces in the Premier League this season has increased by 8 per cent with 28.6 per cent of goals coming from non-penalty set pieces (144 of 503).
Liverpool have fared much better in the league phase of the Champions League, scoring five and not conceding any in six games.
Briggs, a former Manchester City analyst, initially joined Liverpool as their new first-team individual development coach after the departure of Vítor Matos, who joined Pepijn Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg. Matos is now the head coach of Swansea City. Briggs had previously worked at Wolfsburg, Monaco, Blackpool, Preston North End and Uefa.