Liverpool FC Set-Piece Coach Aaron Briggs Leaves The Club

Liverpool have parted ways with first team set-piece coach Aaron Briggs after 18 months at the club.

This season, no team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded set-piece goals (excluding penalties) than Liverpool’s 12.

As a result, Liverpool have decided to part ways with Briggs, who officially took over the role as set-piece coach this summer.

Briggs was appointed in 2024 as the club’s new first-team individual development coach, effectively replacing Vitor Matos’ role in the backroom staff.

However, after a failed search for a dedicated set-piece coach, Briggs’ responsibilities changed and he took on overseeing set-pieces.

He was then permanently installed as set-piece coach in September, with Luiz Fernando Iubel instead filling the role Briggs was initially appointed for.

In a statementLiverpool said:

“Liverpool FC can confirm Aaron Briggs has departed his role as set-piece coach of the men’s first team.

“Having joined the club in July 2024 – initially in the role of individual development coach – Briggs contributed to our Premier League title success last season as a member of Arne Slot’s backroom staff.

“He leaves with the appreciation and best wishes of everyone at the club.”

Who will cover Liverpool set-pieces now?

With Briggs now out of the picture and no immediate replacement announced, the rest of Liverpool’s coaching staff will take over Briggs’ role.

TheTimes‘ Paul Joyce reports that “responsibility for set pieces will now rest with Slot and the rest of the coaching staff, including Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.”

The journalist added that “the club felt an intervention was required and a mutual decision was taken.”

Liverpool’s set-piece record this season

Given Briggs has only officially been in the role since September, though he did often take responsibility for the area last season too, it might seem harsh that he has already been removed from his post.

However, upon inspection, Liverpool’s numbers are shockingly poor.

They have conceded seven times from corners so far this season and from 12 set-pieces in total. No team in Europe’s top five leagues have let in .

Only West Ham (10) have conceded times from corners than Liverpool’s seven this term.

The Reds have scored three times from non-penalty set-pieces in the league this season, not a terrible figure on its won. However, combined with their incompetency at defending them, it makes for a -9 goal difference at set-pieces alone.

What Arne Slot has said about Liverpool’s set-pieces

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Slot hasn’t been ignorant of Liverpool’s weakness, as evidenced by this latest decision.

Before the Wolves match, in which they conceded another corner, the head coach said: “I know the importance of it, it gets and , and that’s why we are so annoyed by our current record.

“It’s a big frustration we are where we are this season because when we were halfway through last season we had not conceded one set-piece (goal).

“It’s impossible to be top-four, top-five with our set-piece balance, let alone winning the league.

“We are the only team in the top end of the table that has a negative set-piece balance (EDITOR: Man City are in fact on minus-one according to official data supplier Opta) – not only are we negative, we are minus-eight and still on equal points with fourth.

“But if we are minus-eight – Chelsea is (plus-four) and Arsenal and United are very high (scoring 10 apiece) and if you look at that you could say how special it is we have as many points as we have if you have that set-piece balance.

“We all know why because in open chances created we are number one in the league.”