Our woeful set-piece coach finally given the boot...
Brigg, oh dear...
- Thread starter Halmeister
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I wonder who set him up for failure?🤔
View: https://x.com/LewisSteele_/status/2005962948938719560
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View: https://x.com/JamesPearceLFC/status/2005959298279518301
Liverpool have parted company with first-team set-piece coach Aaron Briggs.
Set pieces have been an area of glaring weakness for the Premier League champions so far this season and the decision was taken that a change was required.
Excluding penalties, no top-flight side has conceded more goals from set pieces this season than Liverpool’s total of 12 in the Premier League. Only West Ham (10) have conceded more from corners than Liverpool’s seven.
Liverpool are averaging 2.4 goals scored per 100 set pieces. Only Brentford in the Premier League is averaging fewer. In terms of conceding, Liverpool are averaging 8.2 goals per 100 set pieces — only Nottingham Forest average more.
In both of the past two matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arne Slot’s side were cruising at 2-0 before letting in a goal from a set piece changed the complexion of the games and left them hanging on.
Briggs, a former Manchester City analyst, joins Slot’s backroom staff in July 2024 as the club’s new first team individual development coach after Vitor Matos’ departure.
Liverpool initially advertised for a set-piece coach but were unable to find the right candidate they gave the responsibility to Briggs instead.
Last summer they brought in Brazilian coach Luiz Fernando Iubel as individual lead coach so Briggs could focus solely on set-pieces but the move has not worked out.
View: https://x.com/LewisSteele_/status/2005962948938719560
View: https://x.com/BackseatsmanLFC/status/2005958307173769340
View: https://x.com/JamesPearceLFC/status/2005959298279518301
Liverpool have parted company with first-team set-piece coach Aaron Briggs.
Set pieces have been an area of glaring weakness for the Premier League champions so far this season and the decision was taken that a change was required.
Excluding penalties, no top-flight side has conceded more goals from set pieces this season than Liverpool’s total of 12 in the Premier League. Only West Ham (10) have conceded more from corners than Liverpool’s seven.
Liverpool are averaging 2.4 goals scored per 100 set pieces. Only Brentford in the Premier League is averaging fewer. In terms of conceding, Liverpool are averaging 8.2 goals per 100 set pieces — only Nottingham Forest average more.
In both of the past two matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arne Slot’s side were cruising at 2-0 before letting in a goal from a set piece changed the complexion of the games and left them hanging on.
Briggs, a former Manchester City analyst, joins Slot’s backroom staff in July 2024 as the club’s new first team individual development coach after Vitor Matos’ departure.
Liverpool initially advertised for a set-piece coach but were unable to find the right candidate they gave the responsibility to Briggs instead.
Last summer they brought in Brazilian coach Luiz Fernando Iubel as individual lead coach so Briggs could focus solely on set-pieces but the move has not worked out.
The reference to his involvement in analysis probably indicates why we gave him the job. Quite a lot of the work the analysis guys do is around set-pieces, although the focus tends to be more on exploiting weaknesses in the opposition defence rather than how we defend against them.
When I joined the club they did an open evening at Melwood at the end of my first week (never happened again, FWIW) and the analysis guys were very keen to highlight a goal we'd scored against City (Skrtel header) where they'd identified that City's set up left them vulnerable at the back post from corners. So we'd targeted the delivery and our most aggressive header of the ball to be in that space. It's noticeable because you normally expect to see the centre-halves in the middle of the box, but Skrtel was at the back post and made a run into the danger area.
The analysis guys were, understandably, quite pleased with themselves (in truth, I think this was a rare success, either because opposition teams didn't always set up the same way against us, or because the players didn't execute the plan properly on match day). Skrtel probably got a £20-30k goal bonus, the analysis team (many of whom were students from JMU earning minimum wage) got a few £100 each.
I remember wondering why we had inexperienced students doing this job rather than qualified coaches / former players who would have had a better eye for patterns of play and defensive set-ups. It just felt like an after-thought. Oddly, it looks like we're still way behind the curve more than a decade later.
When I joined the club they did an open evening at Melwood at the end of my first week (never happened again, FWIW) and the analysis guys were very keen to highlight a goal we'd scored against City (Skrtel header) where they'd identified that City's set up left them vulnerable at the back post from corners. So we'd targeted the delivery and our most aggressive header of the ball to be in that space. It's noticeable because you normally expect to see the centre-halves in the middle of the box, but Skrtel was at the back post and made a run into the danger area.
The analysis guys were, understandably, quite pleased with themselves (in truth, I think this was a rare success, either because opposition teams didn't always set up the same way against us, or because the players didn't execute the plan properly on match day). Skrtel probably got a £20-30k goal bonus, the analysis team (many of whom were students from JMU earning minimum wage) got a few £100 each.
I remember wondering why we had inexperienced students doing this job rather than qualified coaches / former players who would have had a better eye for patterns of play and defensive set-ups. It just felt like an after-thought. Oddly, it looks like we're still way behind the curve more than a decade later.
You're trying to blame Slot for the crap purple masks? Ffs
Its not really given we’re the worst team in regards to set pieces in the top 5 leagues in Europe.
Its his responsibility and something had to be done.
nice fireworks. Shit mask.
Can we get Hetiga back please,
Amateur hour.
David Lynch
You did not have to be close to the inner workings of Liverpool Football Club to deduce that the club’s set-piece coach Aaron Briggs was under pressure this season.
Arne Slot could not keep himself from constantly mentioning in press conferences and embargoed briefings that his team would not have been in quite as bad a position were it not for their weakness from corners and free-kicks.
And the fact is he was right, given that no team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more than the Reds’ 12 goals from such situations, while their three scored is the second worst record in the Premier League.
It was considered controversial by some to point out that, ultimately, this wasn’t Slot’s responsibility, even if his title of head coach implies oversight of every aspect.
But the Dutchman found himself in a difficult position whereby any intervention on set-pieces might have left him open to accusations of not allowing a fellow coach to carry out his remit.
Instead, he almost had to let the situation deteriorate to this point before sporting director Richard Hughes - who, of course, appointed Briggs - would be forced to act.
That point has now arrived and, in truth, we should perhaps not be surprised by how this particular Anfield career has played out.
Briggs is said to be well-regarded behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre and was part of a title-winning coaching staff last season but, in reality, his duties always felt somewhat cobbled together.
The Englishman initially arrived to replace Vitor Matos as a key link between academy and first team, but was then immediately given oversight of set-pieces almost as an afterthought.
And there was at least a whiff of sidelining in the decision to make the set-piece aspect full-time this summer as Luis Fernando Iubel was appointed individual lead coach.
You did not have to be close to the inner workings of Liverpool Football Club to deduce that the club’s set-piece coach Aaron Briggs was under pressure this season.
Arne Slot could not keep himself from constantly mentioning in press conferences and embargoed briefings that his team would not have been in quite as bad a position were it not for their weakness from corners and free-kicks.
And the fact is he was right, given that no team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more than the Reds’ 12 goals from such situations, while their three scored is the second worst record in the Premier League.
It was considered controversial by some to point out that, ultimately, this wasn’t Slot’s responsibility, even if his title of head coach implies oversight of every aspect.
But the Dutchman found himself in a difficult position whereby any intervention on set-pieces might have left him open to accusations of not allowing a fellow coach to carry out his remit.
Instead, he almost had to let the situation deteriorate to this point before sporting director Richard Hughes - who, of course, appointed Briggs - would be forced to act.
That point has now arrived and, in truth, we should perhaps not be surprised by how this particular Anfield career has played out.
Briggs is said to be well-regarded behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre and was part of a title-winning coaching staff last season but, in reality, his duties always felt somewhat cobbled together.
The Englishman initially arrived to replace Vitor Matos as a key link between academy and first team, but was then immediately given oversight of set-pieces almost as an afterthought.
And there was at least a whiff of sidelining in the decision to make the set-piece aspect full-time this summer as Luis Fernando Iubel was appointed individual lead coach.
And maybe a spell checker that auto-corrects 'defense' to defence 😛
Reminded me of our missing out on Etienne Reijnen:
How Liverpool missed out on their No. 1 set-piece coach target (Dated 2 Jan 2025)
Liverpool are yet to officially appoint a specialist set-piece coach after posting a job advert over the summer, and it transpires that they missed their No. 1 target.
Back in May, it emerged that Liverpool were seeking to follow the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and...
Till date:
With Reijnen still working at Feyenoord under manager Robin van Persie, the Dutch outfit have scored eight non-penalty set-pieces this season; Liverpool have netted just three in the league.
Meanwhile, they have conceded just once from dead-ball situations compared to Liverpool’s 12.
Do we currently have a set piece coach?
I found a list and it seems the arse have the best in the game. We could poach him if Slot really wants him
Best Set-Piece Coaches in Football Manager 2024 • Passion4FM.com
Comprehensive list of best Set-piece coaches in Football Manager 2024. Identify the best set-piece coaches on FM24 & improve the effect of your corner-kick routines.www.passion4fm.com
How Liverpool missed out on their No. 1 set-piece coach target (Dated 2 Jan 2025)
Liverpool are yet to officially appoint a specialist set-piece coach after posting a job advert over the summer, and it transpires that they missed their No. 1 target.
Back in May, it emerged that Liverpool were seeking to follow the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and...
Till date:
With Reijnen still working at Feyenoord under manager Robin van Persie, the Dutch outfit have scored eight non-penalty set-pieces this season; Liverpool have netted just three in the league.
Meanwhile, they have conceded just once from dead-ball situations compared to Liverpool’s 12.
Dammit. I also post on a NY Giants board and it's a safe bet that I spell it 'defence' there!
Might be a name to keep an eye on
View: https://x.com/ground_guru/status/2006829933365178442
Englishman Alex Clapham has left his role as First Team Coach at German giants Borussia Dortmund.
The set piece specialist was hired in July 2024 with the specific remit of improving Dortmund’s performance from defensive corners. With his help, they decreased their xG on defensive corners by more than 66% – going from the second worst team on this metric in the Bundesliga in 2023/24 to the best in 2024/25, with an average of 0.029 xG per defensive corner (Statsbomb).
Dortmund are also second in both the Bundesliga and Champions League for set piece goals scored at the halfway point of this season.
Writing on LinkedIn, Clapham said: “It’s been an incredible 18 months at this special club. I can’t thank my colleagues enough for the memories made alongside some brilliant people in front of the Yellow Wall that will live with me forever.
“What an education in a fascinating, unique way of feeling, seeing and playing the game. I always say it’s the players who teach the coaches and that was certainly the case for me, learning every day from elite players and, more importantly, elite human beings.”
English coaches are often criticised for not venturing abroad to further their careers, but Clapham is a notable exception.
After gaining his UEFA Pro Licence in Spain, he coached Getafe’s Under-19s and was First Team Coach for Ytterhogdals IK in Sweden. He has also been Set Piece Coach at Southampton, an Academy coach at Manchester City and First Team Coach at Notts County – as well as running the popular Cano Football website, which saw him go behind the scenes at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Indeed, it was for Cano that he interviewed Lars Ricken, the former Germany international who is now the Managing Director for Sport at Dortmund.
Before joining Dortmund, Clapham was First Team Coach and Tactical Advisor for the 777 group of clubs (Genoa, Vasco da Gama, Standard Liege, Hertha Berlin and Red Star Paris).
He joined Dortmund under Head Coach Nuri Sahin, who was replaced by Niko Kovac in January 2025.
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Dated 16 Nov 2024
He was appointed as a set-piece coach at the Westfalenstadion earlier this year, at 35 years of age - after the role was created following Dortmund’s set-piece struggles last season.
Almost one-third of the goals they conceded came from set-pieces - only three teams in the league had a worse record - and they lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid after they scored their first goal from a corner, and so Clapham was seen as a key piece of manager Nuri Sahin’s jigsaw.
“You learn from the best,” Sahin said. “I have exchanged ideas with the best. If it didn’t make sense, I wouldn’t have brought Alex on board. First, he’s a great guy. Secondly, it’s extremely important. That’s why I asked the club for it, and I believe we’ve brought in one of the best.”
Clapham applied to take the UEFA B coaching course nine times while in England and was rejected each time, so made the decision to uproot to Spain 10 years ago. Formerly a coach with Notts County and Southampton, Clapham later achieved his UEFA A and pro-licence qualifications while in Spain and became a set-piece specialist at the Saints before leaving for a similar role at Brazilian side Vasco da Gama two years ago.
In a 2021 piece in The Guardian, Clapham wrote: “I had grown up on the physical English game, which prioritised guts and grit over style and guile, but I had become mesmerised by the football produced by Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa, Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque. Spanish football was unrivalled both technically and tactically, and its coaches were climbing up the ladder. I wanted to do the same.”
Clapham’s arrival has improved Dortmund’s record from set-pieces already with further gains expected as his methods continue to take effect. "He's doing really well,” said Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck. “He's really motivated. We have a little meeting once a week. He tells us things he wants to improve, offensively and defensively.”
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Dated 30 Jun 2022
www.nottinghampost.com
Offensively, Notts scored 26 goals from set-pieces situations last season, which was seven more than during the previous campaign. Defensively, they conceded just 17 and five-goal improvement from the 2020/21 season.
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sms5ph7xOQ8
View: https://x.com/ground_guru/status/2006829933365178442
Englishman Alex Clapham has left his role as First Team Coach at German giants Borussia Dortmund.
The set piece specialist was hired in July 2024 with the specific remit of improving Dortmund’s performance from defensive corners. With his help, they decreased their xG on defensive corners by more than 66% – going from the second worst team on this metric in the Bundesliga in 2023/24 to the best in 2024/25, with an average of 0.029 xG per defensive corner (Statsbomb).
Dortmund are also second in both the Bundesliga and Champions League for set piece goals scored at the halfway point of this season.
Writing on LinkedIn, Clapham said: “It’s been an incredible 18 months at this special club. I can’t thank my colleagues enough for the memories made alongside some brilliant people in front of the Yellow Wall that will live with me forever.
“What an education in a fascinating, unique way of feeling, seeing and playing the game. I always say it’s the players who teach the coaches and that was certainly the case for me, learning every day from elite players and, more importantly, elite human beings.”
English coaches are often criticised for not venturing abroad to further their careers, but Clapham is a notable exception.
After gaining his UEFA Pro Licence in Spain, he coached Getafe’s Under-19s and was First Team Coach for Ytterhogdals IK in Sweden. He has also been Set Piece Coach at Southampton, an Academy coach at Manchester City and First Team Coach at Notts County – as well as running the popular Cano Football website, which saw him go behind the scenes at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Indeed, it was for Cano that he interviewed Lars Ricken, the former Germany international who is now the Managing Director for Sport at Dortmund.
Before joining Dortmund, Clapham was First Team Coach and Tactical Advisor for the 777 group of clubs (Genoa, Vasco da Gama, Standard Liege, Hertha Berlin and Red Star Paris).
He joined Dortmund under Head Coach Nuri Sahin, who was replaced by Niko Kovac in January 2025.
=====
Dated 16 Nov 2024
He was appointed as a set-piece coach at the Westfalenstadion earlier this year, at 35 years of age - after the role was created following Dortmund’s set-piece struggles last season.
Almost one-third of the goals they conceded came from set-pieces - only three teams in the league had a worse record - and they lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid after they scored their first goal from a corner, and so Clapham was seen as a key piece of manager Nuri Sahin’s jigsaw.
“You learn from the best,” Sahin said. “I have exchanged ideas with the best. If it didn’t make sense, I wouldn’t have brought Alex on board. First, he’s a great guy. Secondly, it’s extremely important. That’s why I asked the club for it, and I believe we’ve brought in one of the best.”
Clapham applied to take the UEFA B coaching course nine times while in England and was rejected each time, so made the decision to uproot to Spain 10 years ago. Formerly a coach with Notts County and Southampton, Clapham later achieved his UEFA A and pro-licence qualifications while in Spain and became a set-piece specialist at the Saints before leaving for a similar role at Brazilian side Vasco da Gama two years ago.
In a 2021 piece in The Guardian, Clapham wrote: “I had grown up on the physical English game, which prioritised guts and grit over style and guile, but I had become mesmerised by the football produced by Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa, Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque. Spanish football was unrivalled both technically and tactically, and its coaches were climbing up the ladder. I wanted to do the same.”
Clapham’s arrival has improved Dortmund’s record from set-pieces already with further gains expected as his methods continue to take effect. "He's doing really well,” said Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck. “He's really motivated. We have a little meeting once a week. He tells us things he wants to improve, offensively and defensively.”
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Dated 30 Jun 2022
Notts County confirm 'set-piece coach' Alex Clapham's departure to unnamed club
The Notts County first-team coach follows former head coach Ian Burchnall and his assistant head coach Michael Doyle in taking up roles at new clubs this summer, but Clapham's destination is yet to be revealed
Offensively, Notts scored 26 goals from set-pieces situations last season, which was seven more than during the previous campaign. Defensively, they conceded just 17 and five-goal improvement from the 2020/21 season.
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sms5ph7xOQ8
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