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John Aldridge warns Liverpool about their vulnerability on set pieces during their 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. He believes this issue could have cost them the match and needs to be addressed as the season progresses.
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John Aldridge implores Liverpool to address one thing which âcould have costâ them on Saturday
John Aldridge was worried about one thing he saw from Liverpool which âcould have cost themâ in their win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Reds moved into the top four in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory at Anfield, although it wasnât until Florian Wirtzâs goal deep into stoppage time that the result felt secure, and the hosts were also indebted to Freddie Woodman for some outstanding saves to limit the Eagles to one goal.
In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, the former LFC striker was alarmed by how easily Oliver Glasnerâs side dominated on set pieces, citing that as an issue that Arne Slotâs team must address in the final month of the season.
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Aldridge wrote:Â
John Aldridge expressed concern about Liverpool's vulnerability on set pieces, which he felt could have cost them the match.
Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace, moving into the top four of the Premier League.
Freddie Woodman made several outstanding saves that helped limit Crystal Palace to just one goal.
Aldridge highlighted Liverpool's dominance on set pieces by Crystal Palace as a significant issue that needs to be addressed.
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âI donât know who organises Liverpool from set plays but itâs not rocket science. Their big man Lacroix â they knew the way we defend and he was just peeling off the back. He should have scored twice, but Freddie Woodman pulled off a good save and the other one was blocked.
âI know Iâm nitpicking, but I just donât get it. If someone does it the first time then itâs up to Virgil van Dijk or someone to say: âLook, letâs swap players.â I know theyâre like robots these days and theyâre told to do a job. Itâs down to whoever organises the set plays. Itâs happened a lot this season and yet our set plays have been quite good going forward.
âIf you get caught out by it once you canât let it happen a second time. They had several corners and we donât seem to learn from our mistakes. Thatâs something that can be eradicated. Itâs simple.
âIt could have cost us. Had they scored a couple of goals in the first half, they could have gone on get a draw or even win the game, but the goalie pulled off a couple of good saves and we got away with it.â
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Liverpool fans were rightly satisfied with a third straight league win to further strengthen our prospects of qualifying for the Champions League â something which had seemed precariously uncertain just a few weeks ago â but Aldridgeâs concerns over our set-piece defending on Saturday are legitimate.
On another day, Lacroix might well have had a couple of goals from headers he won from corner kick deliveries, and weâd instead be discussing more dropped points at home for the Reds in a season in which that has been an all too frequent occurrence.
That the diminutive Wirtz â whose perceived lack of physicality has been cited as a weakness by some pundits this season â was tasked with marking the giant Palace defender seemed rather strange, and it should give Slot and his coaching staff food for thought ahead of our upcoming fixtures.
Itâs exactly the kind of situation that Harry Maguire could exploit to the fullest for Manchester United when they play Liverpool next Sunday, if the Merseysiders fail to address the set-piece issues that Aldridge highlighted.
Hopefully that potential worry will be addressed in our four remaining matches and there wonât be any uncomfortable twists in the race for Champions League qualification.