Arne Slot has claimed Liverpool’s negative set-piece balance is holding his team back in the Premier League this season, having seen the importance of set pieces go “through the roof.”
Set-piece balance is the number of set-piece goals scored compared to those conceded, so a positive number is obviously desirable and demonstrates strength in dead-ball situations.
Slot admitted on Friday morning, two days after a Virgil van Dijk header from a corner was enough to secure all three points against Sunderland, that he might need to start thinking differently when it comes to set pieces and the focus he is obliged to give them.
“I cannot stop talking about the importance of set pieces. It’s every single day,” the Duthman said.
“You asked me in the past what the difference is between our performances in the Champions League and Premier League and the most simple answer is set pieces. In the Champions League, we are top in set pieces and in the Premier League we are completely bottom.”
Liverpool finished third in the final 36-team league phase standings in Europe, yet have conversely struggled to keep pace with the top five in the domestic table.
“The current Premier League is so, so, so much more about set pieces than it was last season,” Slot continued. “Even though I already found it very important, it has now gone through the roof in terms of how important it is.
“It’s actually impossible to win the league if you have a set-piece balance like ours. You have to have plus five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, no matter what you do in open play, to have a chance to win the league.”
Liverpool have at least improved their set-piece balance, which was -9 at the end of December. Van Dijk’s aforementioned header against Sunderland, his header against Bournemouth and Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick against Manchester City, without conceding more, have shrunk it to -6.
Premier League Set-Piece Balance—Feb. 13, 2026
| Team | Set-Piece Goals F/A | Balance | League Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 15:5 | +10 | 1st |
| Tottenham | 13:7 | +6 | 16th |
| Man Utd | 13:10 | +3 | 4th |
| Newcastle | 13:11 | +2 | 10th |
| Aston Villa | 10:8 | +2 | 3rd |
| Brighton | 7:5 | +2 | 14th |
| Chelsea | 12:11 | +1 | 5th |
| Leeds | 12:11 | +1 | 15th |
| Everton | 7:6 | +1 | 8th |
| Brentford | 5:4 | +1 | 7th |
| Fulham | 8:8 | 0 | 12th |
| Sunderland | 7:7 | 0 | 11th |
| Man City | 6:7 | -1 | 2nd |
| Wolves | 4:5 | -1 | 20th |
| Burnley | 6:8 | -2 | 19th |
| Bournemouth | 12:16 | -4 | 9th |
| Crystal Palace | 9:13 | -4 | 13th |
| Nottingham Forest | 6:11 | -5 | 17th |
| Liverpool | 8:14 | -6 | 6th |
| West Ham | 7:13 | -6 | 18th |
Liverpool still remain joint-bottom of the set-piece balance rankings, alongside West Ham United. Premier League leaders Arsenal are top with a value of +10. But the assertion from Slot that it is impossible to win the title without a substantially positive balance may prove incorrect in the long-term should Manchester City, who have recorded -1 in set-piece balance, topple the Gunners.
While it is not an exact science, there is otherwise some logic to what Slot is saying, with Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton and Brentford all with positive set-piece balances and all in the top half of the overall Premier League table. There are anomalies—like Liverpool at one end and Tottenham at the other—but negative set-piece balance typically equates to a bottom-half position.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Impossible’—Arne Slot’s Blunt Message for Area Liverpool Have Fallen Short.
