Liverpool Explore Set-Piece Options with Pre-Season Tactical Tweaks | OneFootball

Liverpool Refine Set-Piece Training in Pre-Season as Title Defence Looms

With the Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth less than a month away, Liverpool’s preparations are intensifying. Arne Slot’s side, fresh from lifting the title in May, are using every minute of pre-season to gain marginal advantages ahead of their title defence. One area drawing fresh focus is set-piece training, particularly long throw-ins, as the club look to expand their tactical toolbox.

The Reds are currently in Asia, wrapping up their tour with a final fixture against Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday. While the match may seem routine, it offers a final opportunity for experimentation without pressure, and Liverpool are not shying away from trying new methods.

Long Throw-Ins Take Centre Stage

During training sessions in Asia, several Liverpool players were spotted rehearsing long throw-ins, a detail picked up by journalist Lewis Steele. “Wataru Endo was one of the players practising these,” he said, noting also that Ryan Gravenberch, Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley had taken part. Endo, it seems, has taken to the technique best, with his deliveries catching the eye in practice.

Photo: IMAGO

The implications are clear. Liverpool are exploring new ways to unpick tight defences and long throws, reminiscent of Rory Delap’s famous efforts at Stoke, could become an unexpected weapon. Used effectively, they bypass pressing structures and provide aerial opportunities in crowded boxes. In a season where Liverpool will be hunted, not the hunters, such innovations could make the difference.

Slot Embracing Tactical Risk in Pre-Season

Slot has shown a readiness to adapt and experiment. This period allows for boldness, with little at stake beyond fitness and familiarity. As the Reds prepare for a long campaign across four competitions, the emphasis is not just on consistency, but also on variety.

“This is Arne Slot’s best chance at trying things out as the consequences are, well, there are not any,” Steele noted. It is a sentiment that captures the freedom Liverpool are operating with at this stage. Slot is clearly using that freedom wisely, testing out set-pieces and reshaping how his team threatens from dead-ball situations.

Recruitment Reflects Tactical Evolution

Liverpool’s transfer strategy this summer also reflects a broader desire to evolve. The dependence on Mohamed Salah remains, but the club are actively adding dimensions around him. Florian Wirtz’s arrival is expected to bring creativity in midfield, allowing Salah to concentrate more heavily on scoring. The understanding is simple: make the Egyptian King the finisher, not the sole architect.

Photo: @LFC

Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike offers a different type of threat, and the potential arrival of Alexander Isak would only reinforce that. With multiple players now capable of creating and converting, Liverpool are becoming harder to read and, crucially, harder to stop.

Opponents who previously focused on doubling up on Salah will now be faced with a new dilemma. If Wirtz, Ekitike and possibly Isak all feature, space will open up, defences will be stretched, and goals could come from a greater variety of sources. Adding the chaos of long throws into that mix only enhances Liverpool’s unpredictability.

Pre-Season as a Platform for Innovation

Liverpool are not standing still. Their pre-season, like their transfer activity, speaks of a team unwilling to rest on past glory. By integrating long throw-ins into training, Slot is tapping into a tactic that can catch even the most organised sides off guard. When the margins are tight, a surprise from the touchline can be as decisive as a moment of brilliance from the boot.

Liverpool’s set-piece training is not a gimmick, it is a calculated move towards competitive edge. It may not make the headlines now, but come the business end of the season, it could well prove decisive.