Arne Slot slams state of Premier League in subtle Arsenal dig - 'Not a joy to watch'

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot claims that Premier League clubs' reliance on set pieces hurts his ‘football heart’ despite also using the tactic. A number of clubs have become regular scorers from set pieces over the past few seasons.

League leaders Arsenal have harnessed the reputation as one of the most dangerous sides in the Premier League from corners and free-kicks and added to that with the weekend’s win against Chelsea . Last season’s champions Liverpool have also followed suit, having scored from more set pieces than any of their rivals from dead balls since the turn of the year.

On the change in tactic, Slot said: "First of all, you have to accept it. I think it’s mainly here in the Premier League.

"If I watch other leagues I don’t think there’s so much emphasis on set pieces. If I watch an Eredivisie game, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s a big difference.’

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"Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and the referee still says, ‘Just go on’. Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it. If you ask me, thinking about football I think about the Barcelona team from 10 to 15 years ago. Every Sunday evening you were hoping they would play.

"Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not a joy to watch, but it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive and that is what makes this league great because there is so much competitiveness.

“Everyone can win against everyone. But just as someone who loves to watch football without being interested in winning or losing, just to be enjoyed, I think there’s a big difference between now and three or four years ago in the Premier League."

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Having added to Liverpool’s expertise from set pieces, Slot believes that the change in tactic could be here to stay. He added: "Not only because of the set pieces but also because teams have become so much stronger.

“But we are not going to change it. Maybe in five to ten years' time things will change again. What I wouldn’t be surprised of is if you go to an under-16s game somewhere, you see them completely focused on set pieces and that’s the new reality. I have my opinion about it but it doesn’t change."

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