James Pearce has acknowledged the significant impact that one relatively unheralded summer arrival at Liverpool has already made.
A period of major behind-the-scenes change at Anfield witnessed Jurgen Klopp and the bulk of his backroom staff departing, with Arne Slot bringing in his own ‘team behind the team’.
Among that number was Aaron Briggs, who effectively replaced Vitor Matos in his role as first-team development coach but, as the journalist noted in an article for The Athletic, has also been working closely with the club’s analysts, particularly around set pieces.
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Two of Liverpool’s goals in the 3-1 win over AC Milan on Tuesday night came from centre-backs heading to the net from corner kicks; and as Pearce noted in his piece, ‘perfecting set-piece routines on the training pitch is Briggs’ domain and he is proving to be a shrewd appointment’.
In sharing a link to that article via X, the reporter stated that the 37-year-old is proving to be ‘a big asset’.
Liverpool advertised for a set-piece coach in the summer but failed to find a compelling candidate.
Coach Aaron Briggs was given that responsibility and he’s proved a big asset.
How Briggs and #LFC’s analysts plotted Milan’s downfall at San Siro. https://t.co/dhhKmjVNdd— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 18, 2024
The irony behind Briggs’ success is that Liverpool had advertised for a first-team set piece coach shortly after the end of last season, but have yet to officially fill that vacancy despite receiving ‘a stack of applications’ (The Athletic).
Curiously, none of our seven goals in the Premier League so far this season have come directly from a dead-ball situation (WhoScored), although the Reds’ analytical experts clearly saw a weakness in Mike Maignan which could be exploited and duly was by Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
As per Trigger The Press, just under 35% of goals in the English top flight in 2023/24 came from set pieces (one out of every three, essentially), a statistic which underlines the importance of a tactical masterplan from both a defensive and attacking perspective when it comes to that aspect of the sport.
Liverpool know that they have the players on the pitch and the brains trust off the field to take full advantage of opponents with deficiencies in defending set plays, and getting Briggs on board already appears to be a very clever coup.
Perhaps his official remit behind the scenes at Anfield might be altered if he continues to show an exceptional aptitude in terms of preparing set-piece masterclasses!
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