I miss Barcelona — Slot decries Premier League set piece obsession

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has decried the obsession with set pieces in the Premier League, arguing that football in the English top flight is not as enjoyable as other top-flight divisions. 

The conversations around the focus on set-piece goals peaked this weekend after the London Derby clash between Arsenal and Chelsea was settled by three set-piece goals, with neither team scoring from open play in the 2-1 triumph for the Gunners.

Arsenal’s two goals from corner kicks in the game took their tally to 16, a Premier League record. With nine games left in the season, they stand a high chance of obliterating the record, which they share with Oldham Athletic (1992/93), West Brom (2016/17) and their 2023/24 version.

While Arsenal have been the most dominant from set-pieces and as such have been the team most criticised for the perceived degradation of the Premier League’s aesthetic quality, the trend is league-wide

According to Opta, 138 of the 783 goals in the Premier League this season have come from corner kicks (17.6%), the biggest share in the competition’s history.

Slot’s Liverpool have also contributed to this trend. From their 5-2 triumph against West Ham this weekend, three goals came from set pieces. Still, the Dutch tactician is frustrated.

"First of all, you have to accept it," he said, per The Times. "I think it’s mainly here in the Premier League. If I watch other leagues, I don’t think there’s so much emphasis on set pieces. 

“If I watch an Eredivisie game, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given, and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s a big difference.’ Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face, and the referee still says, ‘Just go on’. Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it.

“If you ask me, thinking about football, I think about the Barcelona team from 10 to 15 years ago. Every Sunday evening, you were hoping they would play. 

"Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not a joy to watch, but it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive, and that is what makes this league great, because there is so much competitiveness. 

“Everyone can win against everyone. But just as someone who loves to watch football without being interested in winning or losing, just to be enjoyed, I think there’s a big difference between now and three or four years ago in the Premier League."

Slot does not believe a change is in the offing; instead, he assessed that the trend will continue until the cycle changes in about a decade.

"Not only because of the set pieces but also because teams have become so much stronger. But we are not going to change it. Maybe in five to ten years' time things will change again<’ he said.

“What I wouldn’t be surprised of is if you go to an under-16s game somewhere, you see them completely focused on set pieces, and that’s the new reality. I have my opinion about it but it doesn’t change."