Set-piece football not a joy to watch, says Arne Slot

2026-03-02 - 13:36

By Enitan Abdultawab Arne Slot has admitted that the growing emphasis on set pieces in the Premier League is taking away the fun from games. The Liverpool manager spoke ahead of his side’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, saying the increasing number of goals from corners and dead-ball situations has changed the feel of the competition. “Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it. Now most of the games I see in the Premier League are not, for me, a joy to watch,” Slot said. League leaders Arsenal have made set pieces a major weapon this season, scoring both goals from corners in their 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday. A day earlier, Liverpool netted three times from corner kicks in their 5-2 win against West Ham United. Despite his reservations, Slot acknowledged that the trend contributes to the league’s intense competitiveness. According to him, set pieces provide smaller clubs with opportunities to upset stronger opponents. He also suggested that officiating standards in England encourage the physicality seen during corners and free kicks, contrasting it with his experience in the Eredivisie before taking charge at Liverpool. In England, he argued, “You can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face,” and the referee will still allow play to continue. “If I watch an Eredivisie game, which I still do, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given and I think ‘Wow, that’s a big difference,’” he added. Slot added that the focus on set pieces could become even more entrenched in the coming years. “Maybe in five or 10 years’ time things will change again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you went to an under-16s game somewhere, Sunday League football, and if you see teams completely being focused on set pieces. That’s the new reality,” he said. Liverpool are scheduled to face Wolverhampton twice this week — first in a league fixture and again in the FA Cup — before travelling to take on Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League on March 10. Slot also confirmed that playmaker Florian Wirtz remains sidelined with a back injury and is unlikely to feature in the upcoming Wolverhampton matches, though he expects the midfielder to return next week.