Manager points to staggering defensive stat as reason for pre-Christmas capitulation, admitting league position is a true reflection of their flaws.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot delivered a stark assessment after a heartbreaking 3-3 draw at Leeds United, conceding that his team’s Premier League title defence is already over—and pointing directly to a recurring nightmare on the pitch.
The reason, he says, is a glaring and persistent vulnerability: the team’s inability to defend set-pieces.
The flaw was cruelly exposed in the final seconds at Elland Road. After a chaotic scramble from a 96th-minute corner, Leeds’ Ao Tanaka smashed home an equalizer, snatching two points from Liverpool’s grasp. It marked the 10th goal from a set-piece that Liverpool have conceded this season, a damning statistic in a campaign where they have yet to score one themselves from similar situations.
“I don’t think there’s any team in the world that can be in a higher league position than we are if you concede 10 set-pieces,” Slot stated plainly in his post-match press conference. With Liverpool languishing in eighth place, he offered no excuses, suggesting their standing is a direct result of this weakness.
The late collapse was particularly bitter given the game’s flow. Liverpool seemed in control after Hugo Ekitike’s second-half double, but a penalty and a rapid Leeds reply leveled the score. Dominik Szoboszlai fired the Reds back ahead, only for the old wound to reopen at the death.
Frustration was evident in Slot’s voice as he searched for answers. He dismissed the idea of simple bad luck after 15 games and noted the team uses largely the same defensive structure that was successful last season. “Tell me what it is,” he challenged reporters.
Despite the setback, Slot was keen to defend his players’ spirit. “What I also hope everyone sees is these players are fighting really, really, really hard,” he said, highlighting that the team “hardly conceded a chance” in open play even while letting in three goals.
But the raw emotion in the dressing room told the real story. “Really hard,” Slot described the mood. “It’s about what the players feel, what the fans feel, what everyone who loves this football club feels. I think we all feel the same at this moment.”
With the title dream gone before Christmas, the hard data—and a last-gasp hammer blow at Leeds—have made the problem impossible to ignore. For Liverpool, the path back to contention starts with solving a very simple, yet suddenly monumental, task: defending a corner.
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