Liverpool shelved familiar Premier League tactic after preseason trial and Joe Gomez concern

Liverpool has struggled with the growing number of set-pieces and long throws in the Premier League this season, although the Reds tried to employ the tactics themselves

Arne Slot had to abandon a Liverpool tactic during preseason, with Joe Gomez's injury not helping(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool has had its problems adjusting to the changing landscape in the Premier League this season, but the Reds made their own attempt at adopting a tactic that has seen a resurgence for other teams.

Arne Slot has struggled to find an answer to Liverpool’s problems with set-pieces so far this season, with the Dutchman having bemoaned his side’s issues in both defending and attacking them.

The Reds actually have the worst record in Europe’s top five leagues this season when it comes to defending set-plays, having conceded 12 goals to them so far, including during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves.

It is proving to be a huge problem for Liverpool, with the importance of set-pieces having grown in recent months, while the Premier League has also seen a growing number of sides employing the long throw.

It might seem like a relic of the past, but it’s a tactic that only looks to be gaining more popularity. Even Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City looks set to get its own long throw specialist, with Antoine Semenyo having already demonstrated his capabilities at Bournemouth.

Liverpool has not joined in on the trend, although it’s not for a want of trying.

As the Liverpool Echo points out, the Reds did experiment with a number of players during the summer to see whether any could utilize a long throw. Ryan Gravenberch, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez were all tested during the club’s preseason tour of Hong Kong and Japan.

Ryan Gravenberch was tested with long throws in the summer to little success(Image: Getty Images)

Try as they might though, the players couldn’t get to grips with it. Anyone who watched the friendly against Yokohama Marinos might remember Gravenberch’s attempts, which can only be deemed as failures.

The plan was eventually abandoned, with Joe Gomez the only player who came close to showing some potential with the long throw, although he would have to leave the tour early due to injury.

With the England international not holding down a regular spot in the side - and carrying a worrying injury record that has reared its ugly head again recently - it became clear that it wasn’t a tactic that Liverpool could realistically pursue.

Slot though needs to find a way for his side to defend long throws and set-pieces, with Liverpool likely to face more aerial bombardment against Leeds later this week.

"Unfortunately, we're maybe the only team that hardly ever scores from a set-piece and, even worse, we constantly concede,” Slot said after the win over Wolves.

"But then, I think I said two, three or four weeks ago, we have to make sure that when things go against us — [it] could be a set-piece, could be other things — we still need to find a way to win the game.

"In the last two games, we conceded a set-piece but we were able to win and that hasn't happened that many times this season. That's, again, progress for me, but it's obvious there are more things for us to improve and this is definitely one of them.”